Podcaster Dan Cook has claimed that Wilfried Zaha won’t leave in January after talking to Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish about his situation.
Zaha’s love affair with Palace won’t end with him leaving in the January window but instead will likely see him leave in the summer when his contract at the club expires.
Back in 2018, the Ivorian penned a bumper £130k-per-week five-year deal at Selhurst Park but with that coming to an end in the summer it looks like the second half of the season will be his Palace swansong.
The 30-year-old is an Eagles legend with him scoring 89 and assisting 75 in 443 games which include Premier League promotion and an FA Cup final, but Cook claimed on his podcast that Parish admitted to him that although he will likely stay in January, this season could be his final one in South London.
Cook claimed: “He said to me, unequivocally, that whilst you never say never, there is certainly no desire from the club at this point in time to part ways with Wilfried Zaha during the January transfer window – and if he is to leave the football club, it almost certainly will come at the end of this season when his contract expires.”
TIF Thoughts on Cook’s comments…
With Zaha linked with moves away seemingly every window, there will surely be a long list of names that will be targeted to replace the talisman.
Whilst it isn’t set in stone that he will leave come the end of the season, it does seem the perfect chance for him to decide his own destiny and take that next step towards winning a trophy which he almost did with Palace in 2016.
Patrick Vieira will undoubtedly be worried about his star leaving, with his six league goals the Eagles’ highest this season, the Frenchman can be excited to build on Zaha’s era with young stars Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, as well as any replacement they inevitably bring in.