Tottenham have been dealt a critical blow in their pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha after Roy Hodgson revealed assurances from the club’s hierarchy that he will be going nowhere in January.
The Standard report Tottenham have been long-term admirers of Zaha, and have been recently joined in their hunt by several Premier League rivals, including Chelsea, Manchester City, and bitter rivals Arsenal.
As reported by the BBC, Tottenham had made a £15million bid for the Ivory Coast international in 2016, and the club have since been linked with a return for the dazzler.
The 25-year-old speed machine signed a new contract with the Eagles in May this year, around the time when Tottenham were showing increased interest in Zaha.
Speculation had once again been rife that Spurs were to go back in for him in January, but any move for Zaha next month now looks extremely unlikely after Hodgson’s comments.
As quoted by the Standard, Hodgson said: “I have assurances from the club owners and Chairman, Steve Parish, that is not going to happen. We want to keep all the players we have got and ideally want to add to the squad in the January transfer window to strengthen even more.
“We are not too concerned about any rumours which might circulate because he is going nowhere. Wilfried has been absolutely excellent for us in this recent good run we have had and of course he is the iconic Crystal Palace player having been with us for so many years and being a local hero.
“He is doing everything he can to try and keep us out of the relegation zone and he is going to have to keep producing those type of performances for many more games because we have a long fight ahead of us.”
OPINION
Zaha has established himself as one of the most exciting talents in the league in recent years, and it is no surprise to see so much competition for his signature. This news will come as a big disappointment to Spurs fans, many of whom believe that Zaha is the missing piece in the Pochettino jigsaw. However, in recent weeks it has felt as though the club itself has gone cold on their desire to bring in Zaha, and Hodgson’s comments may not be seen as a setback by Pochettino and his staff. In any case, a January move was unlikely, with Zaha likely to cost a bomb, and Spurs having their eyes on a move for Ross Barkley instead.