Date: 5th September 2022 at 9:30pm
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Crystal Palace steered potential suitors away from their talisman Wilfried Zaha due to the price tag that they were demanding for him this summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to transfer insider and journalist Dean Jones, who claims ,via GIVEMESPORT, that the club managed to keep hold of their prize asset as they “wanted a lot more” than £25million for him.

The 29-year-old’s future at the club was once again questioned throughout the window just gone, but ended up staying with the Eagles in what could be a season-defining decision for both the player and the club.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “I was told that actually, teams were put off by the prices quoted to them, and even with the contract situation at the moment, they wanted a lot more than that.

“So, we’ll have to wait and see if anything happens at Crystal Palace.”

As per the Ed Aarons of The Guardian, Zaha was “one of several players” that the Chelsea hierarchy identified in the final stages of the market.

So too did Miguel Delaney of The Independent, who added to those claims stating the the club had “revived their interest” for the forward, but were met with resistance.

Tuchel would love him

In a time where Chelsea’s attacking potency is being questioned, Thomas Tuchel would no doubt love to have a player like Zaha at his disposal.

Since the beginning of the 20/21 season, the Ivorian has registered 25 goals and three assists in what have been two of the best seasons of his career.

And the 29-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down, having hit four goals in his first five Premier League games.

His record this season would see him rank as Chelsea’s top goalscorer ahead of Raheem Sterling who has scored three goals in six appearances so far this season.

Ranking ninth in the goalscoring charts with eight goals scored this season, it’s fair to say that Chelsea are somewhat lacking in the front-line.

And it’s a story that is not just about finishing chances but indeed creating them.

In the big chances created rankings, Chelsea have faltered so far this season, ranking as the eighth lowest big chance creators with eight created.

And when you look at the top three chance creators for Chelsea last season, there is rather worryingly just one attacker who is ranked in the top three. That man is Mason Mount, who created a respectable 58 chances last season.

The England star is then followed by Reece James, who created 48 and Marcos Alonso, who created 43 chances respectively.

The man in question, Zaha, created 46 chances for Palace last season and ranked as their most creative asset for this metric.

He would perform as a consistent and expressive player who can create and both finish chances for Tuchel’s side.

If Chelsea’s chance creation drought continues, they may seek a creative asset like Zaha who is comfortable being the talisman of a Premier League side, having scored 65 goals in the league over the course of his career thus far.

Keep an eye out for this potential deal around the January transfer window.

 

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