HLTCO podcast presenter Dan Cook believes that an offer of over £25m for Crystal Palace star man Wilfried Zaha would be enough to sell the player, despite his desire for the Ivorian to retire while at the club.
The Eagles look to be moving in a new direction under manager Patrick Vieira, with the signings of Michael Olise, Odsonne Edouard and Malcolm Ebiowei – as well as imminent arrival Cheick Doucoure – all under the age of 24.
With this in mind, it is easy to see why they would now be considering the possible sales of some of their older stars including key man Zaha, who has recently been linked with a move to Serie A giants Roma.
While the departure of the 429-cap Eagle would be hard to take for most fans, Cook took to Twitter to express his thoughts, saying that for the right price, Palace should make the move – but insisted that he wants the player to retire at the club and does not think any deal will go through.
See his post on Twitter below…
Just seen these Zaha to Roma rumours, a few thoughts:
• I want him to retire at Palace
• That’s looking increasingly unlikely
• His deal runs out next summer
• If they offer BIG money, we’ll take it
• For me, that’s above £25m
• I don’t think they will with a year left— HLTCO (@HLTCO) July 8, 2022
TIF Thoughts on Cook’s comments…
Next season, Zaha will turn 30, and while he has been nothing short of a star at Palace – often carrying the weight of their attacking output season after season – seeking a deal that interests both parties could be a good idea at this point in his career.
The Ivorian has made it clear in the past that he desires to play European football at some point in his career, which is something that Roma can offer. Selling him for a good price would also benefit Palace as they can use this money to continue their investment in the vision of Patrick Vieira.
Zaha continued to impress last season with 15 goals and one assist in all competitions while averaging an impressive two shots, 1.3 key passes, 2.2 dribbles and winning 2.9 fouls per game, with an 81.4% passing accuracy.
Either way, this could be a win-win for the south London outfit as if they sell Zaha for over the £25m mark put forward by Cook, they will have arguably received a decent price, and if not, they get to keep a player who recorded the best Premier League goal return of his career last season.
Should Palace sell Zaha?
Yes
No
