Wilfried Zaha return

[Painter]

He’s not coming back, nor should he. Any move like that would be more heart than head. If it ended up happening he would do okay, but it’s not a move we should push for. He’d also be on higher wages than he’s worth to the team.

He’s not suddenly a terrible player, or even really that far off where he was with us. We have grown a lot since then though, and he is at the stage in his career where you don’t tend to.

The Turkish, French, and American leagues are all at a decent level, there is no other league on par with the EPL, but they are not “farmers’ leagues” as people like to make them out as.

He’s been turning out regularly and successfully in the first and the third of those. In the second one, he had a limited and not very successful spell. It happens, really Lyon is the only place he hasn’t cracked it, other than Man Utd, which was as we now know a strange environment, and possibly non-footballing reasons played a part if you believe the rumours…

There isn’t anything to be bitter about with him for us, he was one of our greatest players for a huge period of time, he’s still one of our greatest homegrown players, and we are allowed to be thankful and nostalgic without returning for a third spell.

It also seems he has issues, rightly or wrongly, with a few of our current players, which is another reason not to go back. Most strongly with Mateta.

At first it did seem to all stem from Wilf, but I’m not so sure anymore. The sounds coming out of the camp have been that it’s not only Wilf that has a problem with JP but that JP has problems with a few current teammates too.

If he has been successful in Turkey with Galatasaray, why don't they keep him, instead of keep loaning him out. Tells you everything.

 

[kevlee]

I believe he was offered a one year deal by us and he should have taken it IMO rather than go to Turkey. He is still only 33. James Milner is still playing PL at 40 and so was Teddy Sherringham.
The best he can do now is play for whoever will pay him the most money and save up for retirement. He has been out of the top flight for too long.

 

[beak]

Funny that Wilf is considered finished at 33, while Danny Welbeck, is 35 and still scoring goals. He scored a brace in Weed's win against Liverpool today.

Two very different type of players,queues formed in order to clatter Zaha, very few people try to clatter Welbeck.

 

[Eaglehamster]

If he has been successful in Turkey with Galatasaray, why don't they keep him, instead of keep loaning him out. Tells you everything.

Yep. The plain fact is, he was only ever successful at Palace. A fact that I think sticks in his throat.

I think, in the latter part of his time here he didn't have the mindset to deal with the fouling he suffered and couldn't contain his outrage at his lack of protection from the referees. He couldn't rise above all that negative stuff. Can't say I can blame him for that.

You can imagine the team talk by the opposing coach - "They are all about Zaha. Clobber him early on...."

 

[JHB]

This won’t happen and nor should it. We all love Wilf but the reality is he was very good for us without ever being a truly top class Premier League player. There is a reason people were queuing up to get the likes of Olise Eve and Guehi but not Wilf. He’s not succeeded anywhere else.

Also we already have a squad that is bloated in the wide forward position that was his best. To be honest the last thing we need is to sign anyone else there.