After so far failing to sign a contract extension, Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha looks nailed on to leave Selhurst Park once the summer transfer window opens later this year.
Irrespective of what the future holds for the Ivory Coast international, he’ll go down as a club legend for the Eagles following two impressive spells spanning nearly 20 years.
However, like all good things in life, they must eventually come to an end, and this season looks like being the 30-year-old’s last in South London.
Set to be on the lookout for a new club in a few months’ time, Zaha, who will be a free agent, will probably have a host of clubs chasing his signature, but according to former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore, the Abidjan-born attacker may have to settle for a side competing in Europe’s lesser competitions.
“He’s a tier-two player and what I mean by that is, he’s best suited to competitions such as the Europa League,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s done fantastically during his two spells at Crystal Palace but I actually think if he does move, he’d prefer to stay in London anyway.
“Spurs could be an option for him and he’d be available on a free transfer so he’d fit the criteria of any club that has to work within the confines of a smaller budget.
“I like the look of Brentford for him though. They’re a club that are trying to take the next step. They’ll be looking at the Europa Conference and Europa League places and thinking they’ve got a real chance, so to bring in a player like Zaha would signal progress, not only for Thomas Frank and the club but also for the player himself.”
During his time with Crystal Palace, Zaha, who also has 30 senior international caps to his name, has featured in 450 matches, in all competitions, and directly contributed to 165 goals.