Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly hoping to sign Crystal Palace wide man Wilfried Zaha.
According to The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are planning a new bid to land Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Zaha, 24, was a top target for Spurs over the summer, with BBC Sport reporting late in August that Tottenham had made an offer worth £15million for Zaha – a bid which was rejected by Palace.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha
Many questioned why Mauricio Pochettino was so keen to land Zaha given that he notched just two goals one assist in the Premier League last term, but he’s proven why Pochettino wanted him with some scintillating displays this season.
The Ivorian international has smashed four goals and six assists in the Premier League this term, and has been Palace’s leading light this term, with the Eagles failing to win a league game since he went to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring their second goal
Now, Ivory Coast have been knocked out of the competition, and Zaha is heading back to the Premier League – but The Sun claim that Tottenham are now preparing a £25million move to try and sign Zaha before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Palace would loathe to lose Zaha as they battle against relegation, but on the surface, he looks to be ideal for Spurs. Often, Pochettino’s side have lacked pace on the flanks and a direct runner to take on defenders, which is just what Zaha would bring.
Zaha would surely be seen as an upgrade on or alternative to Heung-min Son and Moussa Sissoko out wide, so here are some statistics from this season to show just whether Zaha would be an improvement on the current Spurs duo.
| Team | Big Chances Created | Assists | Total Crosses | Accurate Crosses | Shots | Shots on target | Goals | Successful dribbles | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilfried Zaha | C. Palace | 22 | 6 | 59 | 18 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 80 | 1,644 |
| Son Heung-Min | Tottenham | 21 | 3 | 40 | 9 | 38 | 14 | 7 | 31 | 1,015 |
| Moussa Sissoko | Tottenham | 16 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 581 |
Zaha has created more chances than both Son and Sissoko, but has played considerably more minutes, whilst he also comes out on top in terms of assists and total crosses, whilst 31% of his crosses have been accurate this season – better than Son’s 23% and Sissoko’s pitiful 8%.
Son’s ability in front of goal is clearly superior though, as he’s had more shots, more shots on target and scored more goals than Zaha, whilst Sissoko is again lagging way behind here.
The successful dribbles column is particularly interesting though. If Spurs do land Zaha, he would be signed with the intention of taking defenders on with his pace and trickery, and he has more than shown that this season.
With 80 successful dribbles, he has more than double Son’s record in this category, and more than both Son and Sissoko combined, meaning he could be ideal for a role on the right hand side of midfield, where he can provide the pace and drive that Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli don’t necessarily bring.
Zaha is still improving his end product, but the stats suggest that he’s the natural winger that Tottenham have been lacking at times, and whether it’s this month or in the summer, he should be a player kept firmly on Pochettino’s wish list.
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