Chelsea are interested in signing Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, according to reports from The Independent, with the Blues speaking to intermediaries about tabling a bid during the summer window.
Zaha, 27, has been with the Eagles since 2013 when he returned to Selhurst Park having spent two seasons away at Manchester United. Despite having struggled for Premier League goals this season, the Ivorian international has been one of Crystal Palace’s greatest attacking threats for some time. At this stage of his career, it may be the winger’s last chance to play for an elite side.
The History and Statistics
The Crystal Palace player’s career kick-started when he was the talisman of the side that made it to the Premier League via the 2012/13 Championship play-off’s, with the winger winning the division’s Young Player of the Season award. Zaha scored twice against rivals Brighton to put the Eagles into the final, and he then won the penalty which sent his boyhood club to the top flight. By this time though the winger had already made well over 100 appearances for the South London club, having joined them at the age of 12.
Though he had already signed a contract to join Manchester United, he chose to remain with Crystal Palace to aid in their ultimately successful promotion push. However, when the winger arrived at Old Trafford Sir Alex Ferguson had just departed, and David Moyes did not appear to like what he saw in Zaha, using him just twice as a substitute before he was sent on loan to Cardiff City in January. The trip to Wales was not a particularly successful one, yielding just a single assist in 12 games.
After a disappointing spell up north, Zaha returned to Crystal Palace, initially on loan, though the deal was later made permanent for a meagre £3.4m. Since then the Ivorian has had an enormous hand in establishing the Eagles as a Premier League side, making almost 200 top-flight appearances for them, while becoming their highest-scoring Premier League player ever with 34 goals.
The Prospects
If Zaha were to make the move to Chelsea, as The Independent suggests, it could be beneficial for both clubs as the player has made his desire to move on from Crystal Palace to a club with a higher status increasingly obvious. Over the summer he was linked with moves to both Arsenal and Everton, but the club’s hierarchy refused to sell him for the fees offered to the Eagles.
With the owners at Crystal Palace increasingly unwilling to invest in the club, with reports of a potential sale, selling their prized asset at the apex of his value, while he is unhappy, could provide funds to rejuvenate their squad in several key areas. Meanwhile, Zaha has not exerted as significant of an influence on the pitch, as usual, scoring just twice in the Premier League this campaign and providing a single assist in 15 appearances.
The timing of the move may be right for both parties as Chelse have had their transfer ban reduced by FIFA to a single window, meaning they are free to enter the market in January, while the Eagles would struggle to replace their star man mid-way through the season.
So it is possible this deal could take place, especially considering Chelsea have some funds left over from the sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, having been forced not spend heavily in the summer window; only bringing in Matteo Kovacic who was already registered at the club.
