A group of Crystal Palace supporters have been discussing the future of Wilfried Zaha. The Ivorian was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal last summer, but the North London club opted to sign Nicolas Pepe instead due to the structure of the deal being more ‘favourable’ (via the Independent).
PalaceEagles on Twitter asked the club’s supporters what they thought the chances were of the 27-year-old still being a Crystal Palace player next season. Here is how a sample of the Selhurst Park faithful responded.
I think he will stay. I can’t see many clubs wanting/being able to commit to large transfer fees in the short term and I can’t see Palace letting him go on the cheap.
— Buxto (@Buxto5) May 8, 2020
I think he will stay…
— Ian Noble (@iancnoble) May 8, 2020
Think he will stay as no one is going to pay our £80 million price tag on him
— Dipam Patel (@DipsPatel78) May 8, 2020
Wilf is pretty likely to stay as I don’t expect any clubs will be coming in with an offer that Steve Parish & co would accept (i.e. nowhere near the £80m valuation)
— Glad all Over (@sfield3) May 8, 2020
Will Zaha remain a Crystal Palace player next season?
Yes
No
Would have thought chances are good given everything. He is still under a decent length contract, Parrish still wants top money for him rightly and very few clubs won’t have cash to splash in the transfer market.
— Mark Edmonds (@edmonds_mark) May 8, 2020
With the uncertainly around football at the moment and for the next 12 months or so I would say going to be difficult for him to leave due to fee and wages .
— James O’keefe (@Jameso04) May 8, 2020
What do we think?
Zaha is Roy Hodgson’s second-most consistent performer this season, with an average match rating of 7.06/10 (via WhoScored.com), only behind Wayne Hennessey – who has only played two games in earning a score of 7.25. In 29 Premier League appearances for the Eagles this season, the winger has scored three goals and provided three assists.
You could argue that the player has been less influential this season, having scored 10 goals and registered five assists in 34 appearances during the 2018/19 campaign. However, Transfermarkt.co.uk still values the player at £39.6m, so anybody wishing to purchase him may need to make a significant investment.