Zaha has taken his game to another level since returning to Selhurst Park from Manchester United three years ago but how long can Palace keep him in South London?
CRYSTAL PALACE fans are used to the rumours now.
Wilfried Zaha plays well and is linked with a member of the Premier League’s top six, only to end up staying.
Over and over, every window, like clockwork. Except this time Zaha has dragged the Eagles out of the relegation zone.
Playing out of position as a centre-forward in Christian Benteke’s absence for much of the season, the 25-year-old has averaged 4.1 dribbles, 2.2 shots and 1.8 key passes per game this term.
Now he is a Tottenham transfer target once more, but he is also the subject of interest from Manchester City and Chelsea.
The Ivory Coast international is arguably the best player outside of the Premier League’s top six along with Leicester star Riyad Mahrez, who was wanted by City in January.
His form has rightly turned the heads of the Premier League’s elite, so where will he end up?
We asked our friends at Football Whispers that question.
The North Londoners have long been admirers of the former Manchester United prospect and, in a way, Zaha would be a good fit.
He is young, hungry, hard-working and Spurs have needed a proper winger for a while. Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has lacked a direct threat in wide areas who can go round the outside.
However, that all changed in January with the £25m arrival of Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian international scored his first Spurs goal in Sunday’s 2-2 FA Cup draw with Rochdale.
A second winger, though, might not be needed. Tottenham’s full-backs provide the width in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 system and having a second out-and-out winger would upset the balance.
Pep Guardiola was desperate to sign a winger the moment Leroy Sane was struck down in City’s FA Cup win over Cardiff City last month.
The German international was ruled out for around six weeks following a dire challenge from Joe Bennett. City’s response was to launch a bid for Leicester’s Mahrez.
But the Foxes refused to let the Manchester City transfer target leave for less than £95m – a price even the Citizens balked at despite their billions of petro-dollars.
Zaha would present a cheaper alternative to the Algerian wideman at around £50m.
However, come the summer City will reassess their need for a winger. With Sane fit again and the rejuvenated Raheem Sterling on the books, they may well prioritise other areas.
Also linked with Zaha are Premier League champions Chelsea. It is hard to second-guess what the Blues will do this summer, however, on the basis that coach Antonio Conte is likely to depart.
The combustible Italian has been at loggerheads with the club since last summer and Roman Abramovich is believed to be fed up of the former Juventus coach’s outbursts.
A parting of the ways seems most likely and the new coach at Stamford Bridge – rumoured to be ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique – will take time to evaluate the squad at his disposal.
The current group is set up to play with wing-backs while the traditional wingers, namely Pedro and Willian, tend to operate as No10s. That would be no problem for Zaha, who has the one-on-one ability to play almost any attacking role.
Perhaps the best fit for Zaha would be a club which has not been linked with him recently - Arsenal.
The Gunners have, however, previously been mooted as a potential destination for the two-cap England international who now represents Ivory Coast.
In January they signed Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Manchester United in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez.
But they also lost Theo Walcott to Everton, leaving Alex Iwobi as the only other senior wideman at the Emirates Stadium. Zaha would represent an upgrade on the Nigerian international.
The Gunners need something different, their patient build-up is aesthetically pleasing and, at times, devastating.
But every team in the top flight knows what to expect from Arsene Wenger’s side.
Signing Zaha would inject a healthy dose of unpredictability.
The Abidjan-born winger is second only to Chelsea’s Eden Hazard for dribbles per game; he can go inside or out with equal effect, bamboozling defenders in the process, something the Gunners need.
