Wilfried Zaha has certainly been in the headlines of late. His quite wonderful recent performances for Crystal Palace have had both fans, managers and opposition purring at Selhurst Park and unsurprisingly, Premier League heavyweights Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all set to be circling for the Eagles forward.
Zaha comes from the same Crystal Palace production line that in recent years has seen the likes of John Bostock, Victor Moses and Nathaniel Clyne all emerge and while Bostock has failed to fulfil the potential that had him so highly rated as a youngster at Selhurst Park, Moses and Clyne have gone on to establish themselves as Premier League players.
Judging by the video below, Zaha will surely join the latter two before too long. At times, the 19-year-old is simply unplayable as he combines electric pace with sublime technique and dribbling skills. Indeed, none other than Manchester United were given a torrid time by the Palace youngster last season as the Eagles shocked Sir Alex Ferguson’s men at Old Trafford in a League Cup tie.
This season, Zaha appears to have added goals to a game that last season looked to have everything bar consistent finishing, with four goals in his last two outings as Palace continue their march up the table. As shown by the departures of Moses and Clyne recently, the Eagles will inevitably find it difficult to hold onto their star man if the big clubs come calling, no matter what price tag they put on him or how many denials the club’s owners may speak of.
Certainly, if Zaha continues his current rate of progression, he will have his key of the entire Premier League come the January transfer window.
Adam Mazrani