Tottenham Blocked by Palace Chairman from Signing Zaha
Tottenham’s attempt to sign Wilfried Zaha have been blocked.
Yesterday, Tottenham submitted a £15 million bid to Crystal Palace in the hopes of signing Wilfried Zaha before the transfer window closed.
The Eagles would immediately reject Spurs’ offer, citing that they have no intentions of selling one of their best players from last season.
With Steve Parish aware of the situation (he was in New York), he has stood firm and will block any incoming bids for the 23-year-old Ivory Coast-born player.
Related Story: Tottenham Showing Interest in Wilfried Zaha
According to the Independent, Spurs sent a £12 million bid whereas The Guardian had it at £15 million. The former could be the base offer, while the latter might include add-ons.
Either way, the answer from Crystal Palace’s point of view is no.
Moving forward, this article will stick with the £12 million value, as Parish is quoting that amount throughout his answers with the media over Spurs’ interest.
“We had a bid from Spurs but £12 million – it’s ridiculous,” Steve Parish told talkSPORT (via Independent).
“I can’t imagine that they’re serious. There is no chance whatsoever of Wilfried Zaha leaving the club in this transfer window.”
“I can absolutely reassure every Palace fan he is an integral part of our plans.”
“We’ve told Spurs that there is really no point bidding for him because he is going nowhere – 100 percent guaranteed.”
Not being able to sign Wilfried Zaha won’t hurt Tottenham this season.
Though the twice-capped England international has a quality that Mauricio Pochettino needs on his squad.
That being, someone who offers pace down the flanks.
Pochettino could target anyone who fits that mold this summer. The main reason why Zaha is on his shortlist, is because he has experience in the Premier League (three seasons).
Whether the Argentine manager truly believes that Zaha could become the next Christiano Ronaldo over time, it’s apparent that he sees untapped potential in the pacey winger.
And working with those kinds of players, who could be gems in the future, is a Mauricio Pochettino-type of thing he has done since arriving in North London.
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While Steve Parish and Alan Pardew are not going to entertain a sale for Zaha’s services, should any club come calling with a huge offer — not just Spurs — it’ll be interesting to see how Crystal Palace responds.
After all, Yannick Bolaise did join Everton after they sent in a bid of £25 million, which in no way reflects Bolasie’s talents.
That’s not to say the DR Congo international isn’t good, just that the Toffees overpaid for a player they should have gotten much cheaper.
It also alludes to the fact that teams could sell a player who isn’t regarded as integral to the club, especially if some teams are paying more than a player’s actual worth.
That said, even if Wilfried Zaha and Steve Parish are on good terms, that wasn’t enough to convince the Crystal Palace chairman to sanction a move.
“I haven’t spoken to the player. The manager and the player might have had a conversation but I’m chairman of the football club,” Parish added.
“I decide who leaves and he’s not leaving.”
“He’ll have to get his head around that. It is difficult for Wilfried because a big club have come in for him, but we want to finish ahead of these clubs.”
“We need to convince Wilfried that he can achieve what he wants here and that conversation will happen once the transfer window is closed.”
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With the summer transfer window closing at the end of the month, Tottenham don’t have enough time to sign any other player besides Georges-Kévin N’Koudou.
It’s unknown what is happening with the N’Koudou deal at this point, but in any event this will be the quietest summer for Spurs in Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure.