Two Replacements For Wilfried Zaha Who Crystal Palace Can Target
Wilfried Zaha seems to be on the way out of Crystal Palace at the end of the season irrespective of whether the Eagles manage to stay in the Premier League or get relegated to the Championship.
Zaha has been one of the Eagles’ brightest players this term. He has managed 6 goals and 11 assists from 33 league games. The 24-year old wide man has been a subject of strong interest from Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, who have been chasing the Ivorian for more than a year now. Spurs were rebuffed after they submitted an official bid last summer, but their interest hasn’t died down and are willing to return for Zaha once again in the upcoming window.
It was reported last month by The Sun that Zaha had rejected a new contract offer from Palace in order to force a move away and with the same source reporting that even Arsenal have joined in the race for the signature of the former Manchester United, an exit in the summer just seems like a matter of time. If it so happens that Zaha does leave in the summer, here are two replacements Palace can look to sign to replace the winger:
Lazar Markovic
The Liverpool man has had a tough spell in England since his arrival from Benfica in 2014. Unable to nail down a place in the team throughout his first season, the Serbian has spent the past two years out on loan at Fenerbahce, Sporting Lisbon and currently at Hull City.
He may not have been able to set the stage on fire at any of those teams, but his innate talent has been visible and it looks like all he needs is a shot of confidence in his arms and a regular run of games in the team, for him to deliver. In his short spell at Hull, since moving in January, Markovic has managed 2 goals from 12 appearances and has caused troubles to the opposition with his running and pace, until his season was cut short by an ankle injury.
There are no doubts about his potential and at 23 years of age, he is yet to hit his peak and can grow into the player that he was touted to become, with the right kind of backing and is a risk worth taking for Palace.
Helder Costa
The 23-year old joined Championship side Wolverhampton Wolves last summer on loan from Benfica and impressed so heavily that Wolves made the deal a permanent one in January.
The Portuguese youth international has been in excellent form over the course of the season until it was ended prematurely by an ankle injury. In 40 appearances across all competitions, Costa has managed to score 12 goals and has set up 11 more and has managed to catch the attention of several clubs. He put on a brilliant display against Liverpool in the FA Cup, which ended with Wolves’ dumping the Reds out of the competition.
While Wolves might not want to sell him, if Palace manage to stay up in the Premier League and come calling in the summer, a chance for top-flight football may prove too hard for him to turn down.
