Why Tottenham Hotspur must make a move for Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to continue their interest in Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha beyond the end of the season. Spurs were interested in signing him in the recently concluded January window but a deal did not go through.
The North London side are known to be quite private with their dealings but they appeared to be quite determined to bring Zaha to their club. That has not deterred them, however, and Mauricio Pochettino is likely to actively pursue him once more during the upcoming summer window.
Lately, Zaha has been in good form and he has done well for the Eagles on a consistent basis. Palace were struggling majorly throughout the initial stages of the season and were even living dangerously close to the relegation zone.
However, even since Roy Hodgson took charge as manager, they have seen a miraculous turn in their fortunes. At present though, they have dropped back to the 15th spot and are in desperate need to seal a victory and stay away from the relegation zone.
Regardless, Zaha has managed to revive his form and has put in some impressive performances for the club. One might look at his tally of 4 goals and one assist this season and feel that he is not good enough but Zaha boasts of the kind of creativity that Spurs have been crying out for.
Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min usually occupy their respective roles in the wide areas for the club and while the latter is talented and brilliant in his own way, the fact is that he does not offer too much creativity.
For example, Eriksen has created a whopping 67 chances in 26 appearances for the club whereas Son has only managed to create 30 chances in as many games. Zaha, on the other hand, has created 35 chances in 20 matches, which is more than what Son has done. This is, by no means, a way of suggesting that Son is a poor player – he is lethal in a lot of other ways. However, considering that Spurs have lacked creativity on the wings, Zaha can be a good choice.
He has also done admirably well as the team’s main striker in the absence of Christian Benteke and signing him could add an interesting new dimension to the Spurs XI. However, given his importance for Palace, it remains to be seen if Tottenham are able to convince them for a deal in the first place.