TRANSFER STORY
According to Metro, Chelsea are interested in signing Crystal Palace winger, Wilfried Zaha in a cash plus player deal. They are ready to offer £30m and Danny Drinkwater to bring the highly-rated winger to Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham Hotspur have also been looking to acquire his services but failed to reach an agreement with the Eagles. Wilfried Zaha had a breakthrough season with Crystal Palace and was even linked with a move to Manchester City in the last winter transfer window.
Looking at the deal
Chelsea signed Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City in the previous summer transfer window for a fee of £35m but the English midfielder failed to cement his place in the team. With Ruben Loftus-cheek returning from his loan spell and the arrival of Jorginho from Napoli, the former Leicester man has fallen further down the pecking order.
Crystal Palace need to sign a midfielder after the departure of Loftus-Cheek and Yohan Cabaye. This cash plus player deal can tempt them to sanction the move of Wilfried Zaha but they might look for an improved offer. According to The Sun, Chelsea’s initial bid to get Zaha has been rejected by Crystal Palace but The Blues are still hoping to sign him.
WILFRIED ZAHA – STATS
In his 143 appearances in Premier League, he has scored only 22 goals and notched 16 assists but the last two seasons have been rejuvenating for the Ivorian international.
He is an excellent dribbler of the ball and has the ability to score some awe-inspiring goals. He was the best player for Crystal Palace in the previous season with 9 goals and 5 assists and played an extremely crucial role in keeping them up in the Premier League.
WILL THIS MOVE HELP HIM TO GROW?
No!
Zaha went to Manchester United a few seasons back but was never able to get the minutes on the pitch he would have hoped. At Chelsea, Eden Hazard is the undisputed starter on the left-wing whereas Alvaro Morata and Oliver Giroud are already fighting for the number nine position. On the right, Sarri has Willian and Moses to choose from.
If Zaha decides to switch, he will miss the opportunity of playing week in and week out in the Premier League. At 25 years of age, he needs regular playing time on the field to develop himself. His growth at Crystal Palace is largely due to the regular game-time he has been getting at the club. He should probably wait for one more season before making a switch to any of the big clubs.
(Stats Courtesy – Premier League)
