Wilfried Zaha continues to be Crystal Palace’s leading light.
Pundit Andy Townsend has told The Debate that he could see Tottenham Hotspur landing Wilfried Zaha, and the wide man being dangerous for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Zaha, 25, was seen as an erratic winger at Manchester United and even in the early stages of his return to Crystal Palace, but few are doubting his quality now.
The Ivorian international notched seven goals and nine assists in the Premier League last season, and whilst he missed a chunk of this season with injury, he is back to his best again.
Zaha is attempting to haul Palace away from the relegation zone, and scored in a superb performance in the 3-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, taking his tally for the season to four goals in 12 games.
Palace need reinforcements during the transfer window, and fans are now left fearing that Zaha will be sold for big money in order to reinvest in other areas of Roy Hodgson’s Eagles side.
Now, pundit Andy Townsend has told The Debate that he could see Zaha at Tottenham, posing a real threat with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but he added that he wouldn’t be rushing to leave Palace if he was Zaha, as he is the big fish in a small pond at Selhurst Park.
“Yeah, I could see him being dangerous there,” said Townsend. “At United, he’s not the first young player to go to Manchester United and find it tough, and not really get enough opportunities to absolutely convince anybody there that he could do it over a longer period, which is why I say this is the perfect club for him right now.”
“He plays every week, more often than that, everybody wants to give him the ball, and it kind of suits him being the big fish in this smaller pond right now. If I was him, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to move, I don’t think he should be. I think he should stay where he is, get a consistent season under his belt, add to his goalscoring ratio, but in terms of everything else he gives his team, he’s a key player,” he added.
Tottenham have been consistently linked with Zaha since 2016, but The Mirror claim the trail has gone cold on a possible move to North London – and Chelsea may now swoop in to snatch him from under Pochettino’s nose.
Spurs fans would no doubt love to have Zaha’s pace and magic in the side, but Palace are unlikely to sell in the middle of their relegation battle, and Zaha may yet agree with Townsend about Palace being the best place for him to play, having already endured one difficult move to a ‘big’ club in Manchester United.
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