Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce has played down rumours linking Wilfried Zaha with Tottenham.
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce
Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce has told The Guardian that agents have stirred the pot regarding rumours linking Wilfried Zaha with Tottenham Hotspur.
Palace claimed a vital 1-0 home win over Watford on Saturday afternoon, with Troy Deeney’s own goal handing the Eagles all three points at Selhurst Park.
Allardyce’s men are now four points clear of the relegation zone and edging towards safety, which would be a major boost to their hopes of keeping winger Zaha at the club.
The Ivorian international, 24, has yet to sign a new contract with the club, and whilst he still has more than three years remaining on his existing deal with Palace, Zaha is set to attract interest this summer.
Having smashed five goals and six assists in the Premier League this season, Zaha has been Palace’s leading light this season, and his best top flight campaign to date comes after Spurs failed with a £15million bid for the wide man last summer (The Telegraph).
In fact, the rumours surrounding a move to White Hart Lane simply won’t go away. The Mirror recently reported that Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident that a deal will be done this summer, with Zaha allegedly valued at around £30million.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha
Palace chairman Steve Parish recently claimed on Twitter that no deal has been agreed with Spurs, and manager Allardyce has now offered his view on the rumours.
Speaking to The Guardian after Saturday’s game with Watford, Allardyce suggested that keeping Zaha is Parish’s job, and blamed agents for ‘stirring the pot’ regarding speculation linking Zaha with Tottenham as he played down the talk.
“That’s the chairman’s responsibility,” said Allardyce. “Spurs were always mentioned because agents or somebody decided to stir the pot. We all know who stirs the pot, behind the scenes, who do it, even though they deny it, but we know they do it,” he added.
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