Wilfried Zaha’s celebration after his emphatic equaliser against Brighton does not tell the full story.
The Crystal Palace star loves his boyhood club and especially enjoys scoring against their fierce rivals — and he provided another reminder of his value to the Eagles last night.
Keeping hold of Zaha is always hailed as the club’s most important piece of business when each transfer window opens and his future will be at the top of the agenda again next month.
Neither manager Roy Hodgson nor chairman Steve Parish have said they would stand in the way of their talismanic forward’s career, and while Palace are enjoying quite a season — they moved above Arsenal into ninth place in the table following the draw — displays like last night will only increase the demand for his services.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is free to spend once more and, backed by a transfer war chest of £150million, has identified Zaha as a long-term replacement for one of Willian or Pedro. Palace will not budge from their asking price of at least £80m for the 27-year-old, but it is likely to be a real challenge for them to hold on to him next month.
Zaha’s smash-and-grab leveller — his sixth goal against Brighton, more than the Ivorian has managed against any other side — showed just how dangerous he can be, why Palace can be so reliant on him and why many feel his quality should be lighting up the Champions League.
Palace were insipid in the first half, dominated by a Brighton side committed to a more attractive and confident brand of football than their hosts.
When Neal Maupay opened the scoring for the visitors after the break, it looked as if Palace would struggle to get back into the game. Where there is Zaha, though, there is hope.
Palace defender Scott Dann said: “With the way the game was going, [Zaha] is the one you are looking to.
“He is the one who is capable of turning the game on its head — and that is what he did last night.
“That is why he is so important to us. It changed the game. From then on, it looked like we could maybe have gone on and nicked it, which is strange to say because we didn’t play well at all.”
Zaha has looked a picture of frustration at times this season. A slow start, following a summer which saw moves to Arsenal and then Everton collapse, did not help, but he can often be seen lamenting team-mates who are not on his wavelength or at his level.
Zaha has never hidden his desire to test himself against the best and the opportunity to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16 next year with Chelsea would be attractive should the club make a move.
Palace, however, are in no place to be losing a player of such talent and will demand big money to let him go. Zaha (below) still has three-and-a-half years left on his contract, leaving Palace in a strong position.
Hodgson said: “Of course, if we lose him, that exacerbates the problem even further. My only solace with Wilf is he has a three-and-a-half-year contract and, as far as I know, the club are in no desperate need to sell him. We aren’t just about to go bankrupt.
“I’m counting on Wilf, delighted to be working with him, but when transfer windows come around, one can never say what will happen. We will have to adjust with what comes our way.”
The Eagles are pushing new boundaries this season, but their functional and well-drilled squad outside of Zaha lacks real technical quality.
Only for so long can the player be happy with saving the day.
