Wilfried Zaha has been stuck at Crystal Palace for a very long time. Almost, every summer, he is linked with a move away from the Eagles but the high asking price has always been a dilemma.
This time around, the situation is very similar but will anyone be able to prize him away from Roy Hodgson’s team? We shall see.
News – Report – Medical soon as Liverpool close in on completing signing
Tony Cascarino recently praised the impressive Ivorian international and believes that he should be perfect for Liverpool.
The 58-year-old wrote for The Times:
“It is difficult to see where Wilfried Zaha could go. I think he would be perfect for Liverpool.”
“He would put pressure on the frontline trio of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, but the champions are unlikely to want to pay for a back-up player the kind of fee Palace are demanding.”
As far as the fee is concerned, Evening Standard have reported that Palace will not take a penny less than £50million for the attacker, whose current contract will expire in 2023.
Cascarino believes that should Zaha stay with the South London side, Hodgson would have to keep him committed and motivated and that is not going to be simple. Stats suggest that failure to move away from the Eagles last summer did adversely impact his performance/motivation.
In the 2018-19 campaign, the African star directly contributed in 20 goals (10 goals and 10 assists) in 34 PL appearances. On the other hand, last season, in 38 league games, he only managed to score 4 goals and provided just 5 assists (Transfermarkt).
The 17-capped international can play anywhere in the attacking third but naturally, he is a left winger. Earlier today, James Pearce claimed (The Red Agenda) that Liverpool are in the market for a left winger to cover for Sadio Mane.
Moving to the PL champions would be a major step up in Zaha’s career but he will turn 28 in November and at this age, I do not think that he will like to sit on the bench because Mane is irreplaceable at Anfield.
Have your say – Who should the Reds sign to improve their attack in the summer transfer window?
