Simon Jordan believes Crystal Palace fans will not ‘begrudge’ Wilfried Zaha if he makes that Saudi Arabian switch while insisting that a hefty price-tag is the reason why he missed out on a dream move to Arsenal, speaking to talkSPORT (14 March, 10.30am).
Has the Arsenal ship sailed, as far as Zaha is concerned? With his 31st birthday just six months away, one of the most underrated footballers of the modern Premier League era is no longer attracting admiring glances from the division’s biggest and best, even as he approaches free agency at Selhurst Park.
A move to the Middle East seems more likely than a move to the Emirates these days.
Zaha, the Daily Mail say, may be offered a new deal worth £200,000-a-week. Crystal Palace’s offer will pale in comparison with the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia, however; Al-Nassr hoping to pair the Ivory Coast international with Cristiano Ronaldo while slapping a bank-busting £320,000-a-week on the table.
“He is a remarkable talent,” says Jordan, who spent ten years as Crystal Palace’s owner.
“If Crystal Palace fans have any problem with Zaha plying his trade anywhere else, they would be slightly unfair. The one thing they cannot argue about is that Zaha has put a shift in for Crystal Palace.
“A lot of players don’t do that. A lot of players would be out the door the first chance they could. Crystal Palace fans wouldn’t begrudge him it (the move to Saudi Arabia).”
Has Arsenal chance passed Wilfried Zaha by?
Unai Emery was desperate to land Zaha during the summer of 2019. A £40 million offer was labelled ‘embarrassing’, however, by a Palace side who valued their talismanic academy graduate a remarkable £120 million at the time (The Sun).
Now, with Arsenal looking at younger options, that ill-fated spell at Manchester United may remain the closest Zaha has come to achieving his Champions League ambitions.
“I think Wilfried Zaha has had a career that could have gone far bigger and far better,” Jordan adds, explaining why that ‘dream‘ move never came to fruition. “Wilfried Zaha wasn’t ready for Man United. Man United were in a state of flux. He came back to Crystal Palace and, most of the time, he has been a revelation.
“Wilfried Zaha hasn’t put himself in the way of a big challenge in football. But the reason why is that Crystal Palace were not prepared to let Arsenal walk in the door and pay £30 million for a player who is worth twice that amount.
“He’s been slightly stymied.
“Everybody knows that Arsenal wanted Zaha in 2019. Everybody knows it. But they were not going to pay what Palace wanted.”
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