Zaha firing after admitting he was ‘all over the place’

WILFRIED ZAHA says his head was “all over the place” during a summer which ended with the Crystal Palace star submitting an unsuccessful transfer request on the penultimate day of the window.

After brief interest from Arsenal and an offer which fell below the club’s asking price, Zaha moved to force his way to Everton having stated a desire to play in the Champions League.

But Zaha (right) is looking back to his best after a slow start to the season and says he’s on a mission to prove he is the top player he claims to be.

“I had to put my head down and play my football,” said the 26-yearold forward.

“I would have been hindering my own progress by moaning and not wanting to perform properly.

“It was a thing where, ‘Okay, this hasn’t happened, but I’ve got to get on with it’. I’ve got to prove every time that I’m the top player I claim to be so I had to get over that quickly. Obviously my head was a bit all over the place at the beginning of the season, but I had to nail down and just get on with it because the team deserved that.” While reports of January moves have continued and Palace chairman Steve Parish has said he’ll sanction one should the money be right, Zaha insisted that his focus remains solely on south London.

“I’m seeing how it goes. I’m a Crystal Palace player and I’m just trying to perform to the best of my ability for my club,” he said, speaking to BBC Africa.

“I’m not thinking about anything else and just taking each day as it comes. The season has gone well so far. We’ve got a lot more in us and I’m happy with the squad.”