The winger was wanted in a £12 million move from Spurs.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha in action with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia
Tottenham Hotspur made a shock move in the transfer window this summer, as they made a swoop for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.
The transfer attempt came as a shock too many, as Zaha did not seem to be a player likely to be on the radar of Mauricio Pochettino. But an apparent £12 million bid was quickly rejected and Spurs swiftly left negotiations there.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha looks dejected
Palace’s chairman Steve Parish made it clear at the time that Zaha was not for sale.
He has now elaborated on that further. Speaking in The Times, and as relayed by the London Evening Standard, Parish made it clear that after selling both Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie this summer to Aston Villa and Everton respectively, the club had to keep hold of Zaha:
“Losing Yannick Bolasie and Mile Jedinak was a big loss, but overall we had a positive market.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
“We didn’t score enough last year and with Loic Remy and Christian Benteke, we have bought goals. And keeping Wilfried Zaha was like a transfer for us. Selling him would have been a bridge too far.”
Spurs eventually snapped up Georges-Kevin N’Koudou in the wide positions after weeks of negotiating with Marseille but it seems they wanted Zaha on top of the French recruit.
For now, it appears Zaha is simply not an option for Spurs. But do not be surprised if the club come back in for the Palace star in the near future.
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