What next for Zaha as Crystal Palace contract expiration looms?
It was a long time coming, but Crystal Palace finally picked up their first away win of the Premier League season on Sunday.
Those Palace fans who made the trip to the London Stadium will no doubt argue it was worth the wait. Michael Olise’s deflected strike deep into second-half stoppage time earned Patrick Vieira’s side a 2-1 victory over West Ham United and sent the away end delirious. Palace are up into the top half of the table, just two points adrift of the top six, ahead of a winnable game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Olise might have been the match-winner, but Wilfried Zaha was the player most integral to Palace’s triumph. He opened the scoring in the first half, impressively holding off Craig Dawson and firing past Lukasz Fabianski, then set up Olise with just seconds left on the clock.
Zaha turns 30 on Thursday. This is his 12th full season as a Palace player. It might also be his last. Zaha’s contract expires at the end of the campaign, and the transfer talk has started ramp up again of late. The forward’s excellent start to the season is a key reason for that.
Zaha has scored six goals in 12 appearances so far in 2022/23. Miguel Almiron (8) and Leandro Trossard (7) are the only wide players with better tallies. The Ivory Coast international has also chipped in with two assists.
That reflects a gradual shift in Zaha’s role from primarily a creator of chances to a converter of them. In 2016/17, for instance, he scored seven league goals and set up nine of them. The following year, Roy Hodgson’s first season at the helm, Zaha averaged 1.9 key passes and attempted seven dribbles per 90. The corresponding figures for the current campaign are 1.1 and 5.4.
His numbers in other areas have risen. Zaha took 2.3 shots per 90 in 2017/18 and 2.2 in 2018/19. So far this season he is averaging 2.7 per 90, and two-thirds of those have been from inside the penalty area.
Zaha is still as skilful and tricky as ever – he has been fouled 39 times this season, more than any other player – but he has become more decisive in the final third. His decision-making is much improved and he is no longer an erratic finisher. Zaha strikes the ball more cleanly these days and he is more adept at getting into goalscoring positions.
In the absence of Odsonne Edouard, Vieira deployed Palace’s top scorer as a central striker on Sunday. His display showed how far Zaha’s all-round game has developed. He was intelligent with his movement and positioning, at times dropping deep to drag Dawson and Kurt Zouma into uncomfortable areas, and on other occasions sprinting in behind.
Zaha was also happy to receive the ball to feet with his back to goal. He was not always able to make it stick, but he backed into his opponents like a seasoned centre-forward. It was another sign of how well rounded Zaha has become.
The Ivorian is enjoying his football right now. Having spent so long playing under defence-minded managers, Zaha is relishing his involvement in Vieira’s attack-minded team. Having similarly technical players like Olise and Ebere Eze to link up with certainly helps.
Yet Zaha has made no secret of his desire to test himself at a higher level. He will be available on a free in July and it would not be a surprise if one or more of the Premier League’s big six made a move. Palace are hoping to begin contract talks in the New Year, but the ball is in Zaha’s court.
"How many times have I seen my name next to transfer stuff? Me, I never speak on these things. My contract’s up when my contract’s up," he told Sky Sports in a recent interview.
"I’m a Crystal Palace player and the only thing I’m focused on is just doing well for the club. I take every day as it comes. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, so I can’t sit here and say ‘this is my plan for this’. I’m only fixated on what I’m going to do tomorrow in training and then what I’m going to do on Sunday. I’m very devoted to Palace and that’s what I’m thinking about."
That is clear from Zaha’s performances so far this season. Whatever happens next summer, Palace fans will continue to enjoy watching their talisman over the next few months.
