Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has reiterated former Everton target Wilfried Zaha’s desire to play in the Champions League – almost certainly necessitating an exit from Selhurst Park as a result.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s eventual 2-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds United, Hodgson confirmed an expectation that the Eagles will face a battle to keep Zaha in south London. According to the Daily Mail, interest in the Palace academy graduate remains high despite the Ivory Coast international signing a five-year deal at Selhurst Park in 2017.
Last summer, Crystal Palace rejected advances from both Arsenal and Everton. Then, during last month’s transfer window, the Toffees were installed as the favourites with some bookmakers to sign the 29-year-old if he were to leave Selhurst Park.
Everton ultimately signed Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi in the summer of 2019 as an alternative winger to strengthen the Toffees’ offensive options.
When asked if Zaha, who has nearly two-and-a-half years remaining on his existing deal, would remain at Selhurst Park in the near future, Hodgson was frank in his remarks, saying [via Daily Mail]:
I would think [Zaha] still has a lot of ambition. This was a very unusual transfer window, there wasn’t much going on and certainly weren’t many, if any, big-money moves. A lot of the transfers were loans with a view to buy.
Hodgson then continued, discussing the variables at play.
He is at a place where he is very comfortable, everybody knows what we need to do for him and we know what he can do for us. It is not always that the grass is that much greener on the other side.
A lot will depend, when offers come in for him, how he perceives that offer and that is another thing to factor in. As far as I am concerned, I am Crystal Palace and that is where I would like him to stay.
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With plenty of years left to run on his contract, it seems unlikely that Palace would part with their talisman cheaply.
Given the current financial climate, any expensive deal for Zaha is likely to be untenable at this stage – and attracting the winger to Goodison Park is reliant in part on Everton securing elite European football.
Unless the club and the finances can match Zaha’s appetite for success, there is little cause to expect a revitalisation of the Toffees’ interest in the summer.
