Legendary Arsenal striker Ian Wright says that Eberechi Eze’s introduction to the Crystal Palace team can help keep Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park for life.
Zaha’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in virtually every transfer window for the last few years, with strong links to Everton and Arsenal over the last couple of summers.
The current teams being linked with a move for the attacker are AC Milan and PSG – where former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has taken over as manager.
Roy Hodgson has always maintained that Palace would be open to allowing Zaha to leave the club if they receive what they feel would be a fair price for the attacker.
But Wright says that the addition of Eze into the Palace attack, combined with another couple of quality additions, could help convince Zaha to see out his career in South London.
“Wilf is worth whatever Palace believe he’s worth to them,” Wright said on his podcast Wrighty’s House.
“Because if Wilf left three or four years ago, they would not be in the Premier League. They wouldn’t be here.
“It’s got to a stage where what he’s worth to Palace – they can ask for whatever they want. It’s what people will pay for Wilf, because they have to put Wilfried Zaha into their system, and what does that bring to them?
“Are they willing to pay £70million? £75million? Probably, I would have a couple of years ago without a shadow of a doubt. No danger I would have done that.
“But I think it’s got to a stage now, he’s got to 28, now they’ve brought in people like Eze, who has literally activated Benteke, we saw it best against West Brom – people will say West Brom are rubbish – ok that’s fine but what I saw from Benteke is a player that is almost now working.
“He’s working now because he’s got Eze who can play it into him, play off of him; he’s got Zaha running off of him, he can lay it back into Eze.
“Things are happening now. That’s what Palace need. They need to say: ‘Wilf, we want you to stay for life. Just stay here. We’re going to bring in people like Eze.’
“And then you’ve got Wilf up there doing his bit, Eze doing his bit. You need a couple of decent defenders – I think Mitchell at left-back is probably going to be playing for Palace for many years until maybe someone nicks him off them as well.
“But there is an excitement about Palace because of Eze and what Palace may be able to do now which helps Wilfried Zaha, takes the pressure off Zaha.”
