Wilfried Zaha Is Destined To Play For A Club Like Tottenham Over Chelsea – Agreed?
Premier League has always produced stars who have often been acquired by the big guns after impressing for low profile outfits. Some moves might not have worked out, but there are plenty of instances where such resources have settled in successfully for the English heavyweights.
One such name is Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha who arguably deserves more than relegation battle that he has been engaged with for past couple of campaigns. The wingman had an inefficacious period with Manchester United a few years back but has now flourished enough to make another attempt at an ambitious switch.
The £40m-rated former English international progressed through the youth ranks of Crystal Palace and played a big part in earning the Eagles a Premier League promotion back in 2013. He was already roped in by former Red Devils gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson and was sent back on loan for the rest of that campaign.
Zaha, however, failed to break into David Moyes’ Man United squad in the 2013-14 season and was sent on loan to newly promoted Premier League side Cardiff City in winter. Cardiff were struggling to maintain their top-flight status and even the presence of Wilfried Zaha could not influence them to stay out of the drop zone. The youngster again remained out of favour for the next campaign under the new Red Devils boss Louis Van Gaal and completed a season-long loan move to his boyhood side Crystal Palace.
The Eagles, meanwhile, managed to make the move permanent in February 2015 and the current Ivory Coast international finally got an opportunity to settle in and play regularly for his boyhood side to whom he handed a Premier League promotion.
Zaha has always been full of potential and held the ability to become one of Premier League’s finest wingers. He finally started gathering the attention of league’s ‘Big Six’ when he helped the Eagles to script a late resurgence under current Everton boss Sam Allardyce and managed an incredible relegation escape towards the end. He was being speculated to conclude a summer transfer a few months back but opted to sign a long-term deal with his current employers that has him tied down at Selhurst Park until the summer of 2022.
Palace had a disastrous inception this term too and Zaha missed a few games due to injury. But he came back strongly under new boss Roy Hodgson, who has helped the Eagles to fight back by defying the odds. The Ivorian is being used as a centre-forward by the veteran gaffer and Zaha has already netted 4 goals and an assist in 12 league outings.
His form, agility, and composure have made him a transfer target of the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – the London rivals who have previously been engaged in many transfer battles. Although a move to Chelsea will offer him a greater opportunity to grab some silverware, it might prove to be dicey as well since a similar sort of move already failed a few years back.
The Blues have the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro, and Willian to occupy the wide roles whereas, the defending Premier League champions are also plotting a January move for Bayer Leverkusen’s highly-rated young wingman Leon Bailey. A move to Chelsea might thus jeopardise his first-team football.
A move to Spurs, on the other hand, is a more realistic as well as beneficial one for him as his style of football will suit Mauricio Pochettino’s philosophy – promoting youth and playing attacking football. The North Londoners usually build up moves using the width of the pitch and the likes of Christian Eriksen and Heung-min Son play major roles to feed hitman Harry Kane up front.
Spurs, meanwhile, do not have enough options on the wings as Erik Lamela is yet to reach his full fitness after recovering from a long-term injury. Georges-Kévin N’Koudou has not really stepped up when handed opportunities and Zaha’s ability to slot in multiple attacking roles will make him a perfect fit for Pochettino’s attacking set-up.
Tottenham have already beaten the Blues once in the transfer window by acquiring Fernando Llorente, so snapping up Wilfried Zaha will be another strong message of intent from last season’s runners-up, who have become an admirable European force in recent time.
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