West Ham display shows Palace can’t lose Arsenal and Spurs target Zaha

Follow us on Google Discover

Wilfried Zaha rescued Crystal Palace against West Ham to show why they can’t lose him to Arsenal, Tottenham, or anyone else.

Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace celebrates scoring his side’s second goal during the Premier League match against West Ham United.

For the second time in as many home matches, Wilfried Zaha was Crystal Palace’s saviour as they drew 2-2 with West Ham United in the Premier League.

Zaha scored a 97th-minute equaliser with the last kick of the game to salvage a much-needed point for the bottom-placed Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring his side’s second goal with his Crystal Palace teammates during the Premier League match against West Ham United.

The 24-year-old also netted the winner against Chelsea two weeks prior to seal Palace’s first points of the season in their eighth match and despite having only played four times this term due to injury, is already their topscorer.

The fact that the South Londoners lost six consecutive league matches when Zaha was absent with a knee problem, only to beat the reigning champions in their first game since his return, is no coincidence.

The Ivory Coast international, who came through their youth system, is not only their best player but also their talisman and that is why if manager Roy Hodgson is going to keep the club in the top tier in 2017/18 then he can only do it with the attacker in the team.

Roy Hodgson, manager of Crystal Palace, looks on prior to the Premier League match against West Ham United.

That is a scenario that may not be easy to achieve when the Sun reported back in May that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were getting ready for a £30m battle to sign Zaha.

Performances like that given against the Hammers will only enhance that interest, but what may work in Hodgson’s favour is the miserable time the Ivorian endured during two years with Manchester United after his first big move in 2013.

Much has changed since then and Zaha is now a more mature and rounded player, but perhaps his emotional attachment to Palace and his previous issues away from the club will keep him there until next summer at least.