Wilfred Zaha has made his desire to depart Selhurst Park for greener pastures no secret. Last summer he was at the centre of some very public transfer dealings, including a transfer request, after a proposed move to Everton fell through.
It seems this summer the Ivory Coast international is set to go through the process once more and there have been a host of clubs linked with the 27-year-old Crystal Palace winger. Some of the suitors touted include Everton, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Newcastle United. However, Zaha is not what the Magpies require in forward areas, nor can they offer him European football, as he has previously expressed a desire to play in the Champions League, so his signature would be best left for others to squabble over.
After his frustrating summer, Zaha has not retained his goalscoring form either. This season the forward has scored six fewer goals than last, which was the only time he has hit double figures in the top-flight. Meanwhile, it is also no secret that Newcastle’s primary concern is a bewildering lack of goals, typified by Jonjo Shelvey top-scoring on six.
Considering Zaha has never been prolific, and the Toon already have Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, the Ivorian international would only add to Steve Bruce’s goalscoring impotence. Furthermore, the Frenchman has eclipsed Zaha as one of the Premier League’s best dribblers, recording 0.3 more per match, behind only Adama Traore.
Another stumbling block in the move for Zaha should be the fact that the Eagles’ winger is now 27-years-old, meaning there is a strong possibility that if anyone does manage to pry him away from Selhurst Park, the forward’s time at the top of his game may be limited. Additionally, his value has peaked and now appears to be on its way back down, suggesting he will not hold his worth if he was to move on again in the future.
One of the main factors Zaha is seeking a move away from South London is his desire to play in the Champions League. He cannot be offered floodlight midweek glamour ties at St James’ Park, which is yet another reason it would be sensible to leave the sides from Madrid and Munich to chase the wantaway winger.
Successfully courting Zaha could be an incredibly expensive undertaking, given he is valued at £39m (Transfermarkt). Newcastle would not be fixing the issues in this squad by outlaying a fee in the region of the club record, and with Almiron and Saint-Maximin for company, there is every chance Zaha could go the same route as Joelinton, creating more problems than he solves.
