Hodgson expects Zaha to see out Crystal Palace contract

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has revealed that he expects Wilfried Zaha to see out his contract at Selhurst Park.

The Ivory Coast international was subject of heavy interest the summer, with Everton, Arsenal and several clubs across Europe all interest in his services.

Palace rejected Everton’s one bid in the summer, upon which Everton moved onto other targets.

While some Everton fans might have been hoping that the Toffees would reignite their interest in the winter window, Hodgson is confident that the 27-year old forward will remain put, despite the player having handed in a transfer request and made his desire to leave the club evident in the summer.

Talking to Sky Sports (via Mirror Sport), Hodgson said:

We’re very pleased to have him [Zaha] with us still, and I’m very much counting on having him with us still, but of course you never know.

When you’re a team like ourselves with a player like him there’s always going to be the risk that bids and attempts to prise him away will happen to you. Fortunately for me and the club we’ve been able to bat those requests away. But you have to take each situation as it comes.

I’m hoping there won’t be any bids for him, but if there is one it will be up to the club to take into consideration what is the right thing to do.

In the summer, the club received at least one bid they didn’t feel was the right one to accept and he – unfortunately, if he chooses to see it that way – had to respect the three or four-year contract he signed with the club.

Players are always going to be coveted by other teams, but when you sign a long-term contract with a club you have to be accepting of the fact the chances are that the club won’t accept those bids and the club will say to you ‘no, you’ve signed a three-year contract with us and we expect you to play for three years.’

Read Everton Verdict

I was really into the idea of Everton signing Wilfried Zaha in the summer, and personally I had hoped that the Toffees would return with renewed interest once the transfer window reopens.

Of course, it is easy to claim that Zaha won’t leave, because all it takes is one offer to sweet to reject to tempt Palace into selling. Whether Everton are capable or would be prepared to make such an offer is debatable.

It also depends on who is manager by the time the January window rolls around. Marco Silva could potentially be in charge still, but equally he could have been sacked by that point, and you would imagine a new coach would have his own ideas over January recruitment.