OPINION
Another month, another story linking Tottenham Hotspur to Wilfried Zaha.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Spurs are preparing a massive £40million bid as they reignite their interest in the Crystal Palace winger this summer.
The newspaper claim that Zaha may leave the Eagles at the end of the season, but Roy Hodgson’s side are likely to argue that he is worth even more than £40million.
It is said that Tottenham have failed in the past with £12million and £21million bids for the 25-year-old, who is currently earning around £100,000-a-week at Selhurst Park.
There is no doubt that Zaha would be a good addition to a Spurs squad that is beginning to look like it will challenge for serious silverware at some point soon.
But their continued interest in Zaha has been going on for several transfer windows now, and the club would be best to move on from the Palace winger.
The 25-year-old has proven himself to be one of the best wingers in the Premier League in recent seasons, but £40million, or possibly more, is a steep price to pay.
Zaha’s output in the past three seasons has been decent, and a personal-best return of seven goals and eleven assists last season is notable, but that kind of form has come too inconsistently for the speed machine.
Consider the fact that Tottenham paid PSG just £25million for Lucas Moura in January, a Brazil international who is the same age as Zaha.
Not only does the price of that deal make a £40million move for Zaha look wasteful, Lucas’ presence in the squad also means that a move for the Eagles winger looks pointless.
Tottenham’s starting attack of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min is basically set in stone, and so to bring Zaha in to sit on the bench alongside Lucas makes little sense.
Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino would be well-advised to turn the attentions of their cheque book elsewhere this summer, to positions where Tottenham need more urgent reinforcements.