Manchester United’s visit to Selhurst Park could see their title challenge gather even more momentum. But they’ll once again come up against a Crystal Palace player in Wilfried Zaha who will be desperate to derail his former club.
This Premier League game comes at a pivotal time for Zaha on a personal level. There are less than two weeks until the January transfer window closes and the Ivorian’s contract runs out this summer. He’s the highest paid player at the club, reportedly earning £130k-per-week, but now Patrick Vieira could lose his star man on a free.
For Zaha, now 30, his choices over the next few months are monumental. He’s been linked with Arsenal on several occasions over the last few years, but now the Gunners are title challengers again, a move to North London seems more palatable than ever before. Given Mikel Arteta’s side missed out on Mykhailo Mudryk during this window, they could be tempted to bag a bargain from south of the river.
READ MORE:
- Is Conte right or wrong to criticise England's 'bad habit'
- Are Man City better without Haaland?
- Palace are 7/2 to beat Man Utd with Betfred*
If Palace want to get any money for Zaha, they must sell this month. But, a 30-year-old winger doesn’t fit the bill for Arteta’s rebuild, built upon young, exciting players with huge potential. If he is available on a free, he will surely have a whole host of suitors due to his ability, but from what we saw at Manchester United, a big club may not be right for him.
A lot has changed since then and circumstances certainly went against him at Old Trafford. He joined from Palace in 2013 as a 21-year-old in the same summer Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day. It was a new club, a new city and a manager in David Moyes that was struggling to get to grips with the job. Zaha was the fall guy and lasted just six months, making two appearances before being shipped out on loan.
A return to Palace in the summer of 2014 resurrected his career and ever since, he has been their star as they have become an established Premier League outfit. But is he finally ready for a top six club?
At 30, he may only have one big contract left in his career. Although Palace could get close to Arsenal’s potential wage offer, they are unlikely to be able to match it. He’s also far more likely to win a trophy with the Gunners than Palace - he could even be a Premier League winner come May. But that doesn’t mean leaving Selhurst Park is the right thing to do.
Patrick Vieira: "I hope not..." 😅
It’s a club he has been at since the age of 12. He’s gone through their academy and the fans have watched him grow from a boy into a man. Zaha has even earnt the club £10m from his move to Manchester United, and they only had to pay £3m to get him back. He’s a bonafide club legend, and even if he leaves, that won’t change.
But if he stays, he cements his legacy as an all-time great. If he stays for the rest of his career, he can probably choose exactly where he wants his statue at Selhurst Park. He’s already their top goalscorer in Premier League history and has recently entered their top ten goalscorers of all time, even though he isn’t a traditional number nine. His influence on the club is undeniable and Palace fans love his competitive edge, which often rubs opponents up the wrong way.
Alan Shearer’s move to his hometown club of Newcastle United is often cited as an argument to stay rather than leave, but for Zaha it does make a lot of sense. In short, he is perfect for Palace. At a bigger club he would not be the star, and it's a role that suits him so well.
At his age, and with his contract coming to an end, a move is always going to be tempting. But what would be better than any title, is a trophy at Crystal Palace. Zaha has six months of tempting offers coming his way, but ignoring them to stay put would be the greatest way to secure his Palace legacy.
*18+ | Be Gamble Aware
