Roy Hodgson Says Crystal Palace Plans on Keeping Wilfried Zaha
In a generally disappointing season which has seen Crystal Palace struggle for results in large parts of their Premier League campaign, Roy Hodgson's side find themselves currently languishing in 16th place in the table, just five points clear of the relegation zone.
One of the few bright lights in the Eagles' season has been the performances of Wilfried Zaha, with his standout contributions, including seven league goals and two assists in 25 appearances, maintaining his reputation as one of the Premier League's most exciting talents. According to the Mail, Hodgson has no intention of cashing in on his prized asset this summer.
Zaha continues to lead from the front in Palace's battle to beat the drop, and his side's likely chances of survival should give them a stronger position from which to fight off any potential suitors for the winger when the summer transfer window swings open.
The latest side to be linked with the former Manchester United man are his old club's city rivals, Manchester City. Zaha is said to be among Pep Guardiola's targets to strengthen his league-winning side, but the Englishman's current manager Hodgson has sought to deter any such move for his star player.
"(Zaha is) such an important player for Crystal Palace. He's Palace through and through. He's basically a player we regard as our own - the fans certainly could sing he's one of their own - so we'd like to keep him," said a defiant Hodgson.
Whether the manager's loyalty to Zaha is matched by the player's dedication to the club, and whether he feels as synonymous with Palace as Hodgson suggests he is, remains to be seen.
Hodgson does not believe there is currently too much to read into recent talk of an imminent move. "Transfer speculation will always be rife. There'll always be suggestions that this or that player is on the move. We don't think about that. Wilf shows no signs of any thoughts other than helping his club get through the next four games to still be in the Premier League next season.
"Would we at Palace like Wilf to stay? Of course, yes, and he has four years on his contract, too. Let's hope that's sufficient."
Zaha was keen to take the challenge when Manchester United came knocking for his services and signed him for £15m from Palace in January 2013. Whether he would jump at the chance for another crack at one of the country's elite clubs will become clearer over the coming months.
