THERE’S A WIL BUT IS THERE A WAY TO K EE P ZA H A ?
Matchwinner won’t commit to Palace
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BY TOM PRENTKI
WILFRIED ZAHA came up with a stunning reminder of his quality – but then refused to commit to Crystal Palace for
next season.
Zaha came off the bench to snatch a deserved victory for Patrick Vieira’s side with a brilliant solo strike in the 92nd minute. It took his Premier League tally to 12 for the season for a player who had looked destined to leave Palace previously.
The Ivorian winger is out of contract next summer so his value will plummet over the next 12 months. And when asked if he’d still be at Selhurst Park come August, Zaha simply said: “You’ll have to see.”
Palace boss Vieira is a big fan and likened Zaha to the former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier.
He said: “I think Wilfried is a little bit like Matt Le Tissier. When you play at Palace, when you play at
Southampton, you may not get the credit that you deserve if you’re not playing in one of the top four or five teams in the Premier League.”
Earlier this year, former Arsenal legend Vieira was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame and he feels that Zaha and Le Tissier are also worthy of that accolade.
“I hope Le Tissier, like Wilfried, will get to the Hall of Fame because you can’t take away what they did for Crystal Palace and Southampton.
“Wilfried since he has been at this football club has been an important player. He’s got special talent and
I think he’s showing it year after year.”
Vieira (with his goal hero, right) believes that
Zaha’s improved record is down to the style of play he has introduced to the London club since replacing Roy Hodgson.
Talents like Eberechi Eze, who scored Palace’s equaliser after Oriol Romeu had given Saints an early lead, have allowed Zaha to flourish.
Vieira added: “We brought some players who have improved Wilfried’s ability to score goals.
“He has always scored goals and, if we play the way we played today and we keep creating chances, he is definitely going to score more.
“I believe that he’s got the ability and quality to score around 20, to be honest.”
Zaha agrees with Vieira over the quality of Palace’s squad. Here they had the likes of Zaha, Michael Olise and Odsonne Edouard to call off the bench, with Eze adding plenty of quality to the starting 11.
Zaha said: “You can see for yourself the talent in the team so I’m happy every day to just be a part of it and do my part. This year is the first year some of these players have played together so it’s a very good first season. Now we will see how things go. “
Palace trail their big rivals Brighton by three points with a game in hand but Zaha insisted that finishing above them was not the club’s target this season. Zaha said: “Just finishing in the top 10 would be good for the club.”
Palace were worthy winners on the South Coast, dominating possession and chances. Vieira raced down the St Mary’s touchline like Jose Mourinho famously did at Old Trafford all those years ago to celebrate Zaha’s last-gasp winner with the away support.
And he insisted that there is no chance of his players switching off in the final four games of the season. The French World Cup winner, whose team still have to visit Everton and Aston Villa, said: “We will have the same programme in the week, we’ll have the same meetings, and the pressure will be the same. It’s about a culture that we want to bring in.”