Tottenham Hotspur will have to dig deep if they want the Crystal Palace man.
As reported by HITC on Monday, Crystal Palace have rejected Tottenham Hotspur’s improved £18million offer for Wilfried Zaha and will only consider a deal if a fee closer to £25million is offered.
The problem is, while there are some wingers out there who would be worth that sort of outlay in what has quickly become an inflated market, Zaha would represent a risk for Spurs; one that manager Mauricio Pochettino and chairman Daniel Levy may not be willing to take.
Tottenham need more width – as their prolonged pursuit of Georges-Kevin N’Koudou proves, but signing Zaha for big money would represent a 50/50 chance of success, such is his game.
Once dubbed the next big thing, Zaha never had the chance to prove his worth at Manchester United, in no small part due to Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement soon after his arrival from Palace.
Perhaps if the Scot had remained at Old Trafford to nurture Zaha as he had so many before him things would have been different. But even now, back at Palace for a second spell, the 23-year-old is as much about the misses as the hits.
Last season Zaha scored five goals and provided seven assists in 43 matches for Palace; in contrast Erik Lamela found the net 11 times and set up a teammate on 10 occasions in 44 appearances.
What Tottenham really need is an experienced, consistent wide player, not a £25million risk who is yet to justify the hype.
For half the price Zaha would be worth it, but for £25million – even in what has been a crazy window – Tottenham would be wise to look elsewhere, bide their time or promote from within.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
