Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace were right to pull out all the stops in order to keep Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park, despite bids of £80million for the forward.
Manchester United great Gary Neville has backed the Palace hierarchy for standing firm and keeping Zaha at the club, telling the Premier League Debate Show that the Ivorian is virtually irreplaceable for the Eagles:
If you’re Zaha now at £80m and you’re Crystal Palace, you’re thinking: well, I cannot get a player like him to come to our club. You cannot get a player to go to Crystal Palace that is the talent of Zaha, so they are better off keeping the actual player.
Read Crystal Palace Verdict
Crystal Palace were severely tested over the summer, with bids in the region of £80million for Zaha. However, the Eagles were right to keep hold of their most prized possession.
Under Hodgson, Zaha is undoubtedly Palace’s most potent attacking threat. Whether it be illustrated through goal contributions or attacking play, the Ivorian is central to Hodgson’s system.
His pace and power prove a nightmare for defenders to handle, and it is true that Palace wouldn’t be able to directly replace the forward. For a club with a moderate transfer budget, replacing a player like Zaha would be near enough impossible.
The quality that he brings to the Palace side is clear to see, but Hodgson will be hoping there is still more to come for Zaha. Whilst renowned for his dribbling abilities, he can still improve in front of goal.
Last season was his most prolific in the Premier League, with an impressive 10 goals and 10 assists in 34 matches. But Hodgson and his coaching staff will be adamant there is still more to come from the 26-year-old.
The Ivorian’s early career move to Manchester United didn’t go according to plan, and it seems the Eagles aren’t willing to let their star man leave again.
£80million in the transfer pot sounds like a nice idea, but there’s no sum that could quantify the importance of Zaha to Palace.
