Wilfried Zaha has long since asked for a better engagement. Why is he still staying at Crystal Palace?

This is the ninth season in a row that this connection has worked. When you say Crystal Palace, the vast majority of fans think of Wilfried Zaha. He is the biggest threat to the London club. Why is he still there when better teams are circling around him?

Zaha has already been at Selhurst Park in the Championship in the 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2013/13 seasons, racking up 15 goals in total. He returned to London in 2014/15, this time in the Premier League, and made a big splash. Take a look at his stats for yourself.

2016/17 | 35 games – 7 goals/9 assists
2017/18 | 29 games – 9 goals/3 assists
2018/19 | 34 games – 10 goals/5 assists
2019/20 | 38 games – 4 goals/3 assists
2020/21 | 30 games – 11 goals/2 assists
2021/22 | 33 games – 14 goals/1 assist
2022/23* | 4 games – 4 goals

Almost every transfer window, big clubs from England circle around him, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United interested. But Zaha remains loyal to Crystal Palace. Why might that be?

A star rather than one of many

Almost all footballers aim to play for the biggest team and win titles. It’s just that not all of them necessarily have that as their first priority. Zaha, in short, would rather be a big star in a smaller team that everyone can rely on than one of many.

Jack Grealish is a similar example. He was an untouchable god to Aston Villa supporters, as captain at 23 he pulled the Villains back into the league, the fans would have brought the blue from the sky for him. That’s why he stayed at Villa Park for a long time, even when all the big clubs were circling around him.

But eventually he decided to leave for Manchester City, who paid €100 million for him. There, he hasn’t yet earned a place in the starting line-up, is one of several strikers at the moment and can forget about the privileged status of a star. And that is what Zaha may not want to lose.

A comfortable playing style

It’s somewhat related to the reason mentioned above, but this time we’re not talking about club status, but directly about position on the pitch. Crystal Palace have a style of play tailored to Zaha, last season five of Zaha’s 14 goals were winning goals, virtually all of them directed at the Ivorian striker.

He would certainly not be getting that kind of exposure at a big club. And perhaps that is why Zaha doesn’t want to leave Crystal Palace, when he was at Manchester United he only started two games and was pretty disappointed with his engagement at Old Trafford.

To build something at Crystal Palace

Playing for a big club and winning titles may be the dream of most footballers, but not everyone can have that. Zaha may want to build something with Crystal Palace, achieving some success with the London outfit would be all the more pleasing.

“This season he has proved to everyone how much this club means to him, putting in great performances and scoring important goals. I believe he can go to an even higher level here and help the team grow,” coach Patrick Vieira praised his charge at the end of last season.

Source: Crystal Palace