Crystal Palace keep the Premier League safe for another year. Photo: Getty Images/Marc Atkins
Until recently, this would have been a heretical notion among Holmesdale Road mavens, but things are changing and perhaps Crystal Palace will finally be able to look beyond the era of Wilfried Zach with confidence.< /p>
Zaha once left Selhurst Park, but returned after his hopes for Manchester United's career went awry. Since then, he has become a mascot figure for the club and arguably one of the greatest sponsors in their history.
But he is set to leave this summer unless he signs a new contract, leaving his and the club's future to be uncertain.
That's why life after Zaha may not be as bad as Palace fans may have once feared.
Player and club felt responsible for each other
Zaha has been wearing Palace for too long. Their top scorer over the past two seasons has been their standout contribution since replacing John Stern in a 10-minute cameo in the home league defeat against Cardiff City in March 2010, days after manager Neil Warnock left.
While Zaha has proven himself, Palace have been flirting with relegation to League One, but when he left for Old Trafford in January 2013 to be disappointed, he couldn't quite break away. He remained on loan until the end of the season to take Palace to the Premier League. Zaha's quick and inevitable return to SE25 — so zealous that he joined him on loan days after Tony Pulis left — suggested that neither side could thrive without the other. Managers have come and gone since then, from Alan Pardew (at Saturday's game) to Roy Hodgson, and a succession of strikers from Christian Benteke to Alexander Sorloth.
However, two things remained stable: Palace's place in the Premier League and, with none of the signings being at its level, Zaha's key contribution to keeping them there. The boy, who went to school around the corner from Selhurst Park and entered the academy at the age of 12, had deep roots and a deeper sense of responsibility. He couldn't leave.
Wilfried Zaha's performances have kept Crystal Palace in the top flight since 2013. AFP/Justin Tallis It's now or never
Zaha returned on Saturday after missing four games after beating Leicester City on 1 April. He scored his first goal since November with a simple touch, but even West Ham's shaky defense didn't waver. in front of him, although he seduced Volodymyr Kufal into a lunge with a yellow card.
Just two assists this season hint that he is on the wane, but no one would be foolish enough to question his commitment as Zaha took another blow to the knee and after that his manager Roy Hodgson praised the striker for his stubbornness (as much a Zach trademark as the maze) in ignoring medical and management advice to stay until the 84th minute. Yet, as Harry Kane, whose goal-scoring prowess remains unshakable no matter how the people around him falter, will attest, the burden of carrying only the club's hopes is a heavy burden.
The well-paid contract he signed in 2018 expires at the end of the season. With Zaha turning 30 in November, the clock is ticking, but the door to the top four could still be open and fans from longtime Juventus and Arsenal fans (who signed Nicolas Pepe ahead of him in 2019 against Unai Emery). Wishes 39) Barcelona and Chelsea would at least live up to Palace's contract offer, while at the same time setting themselves new challenges and perhaps new horizons. Like Kane, it's probably now or never.
The Palace finally has successors
Zah has flourished in the Palace for so long that it's amazing to see that he now has equals. Tyreke Mitchell is still prone to rough spots, but he's so strong at left-back that Zaha doesn't have to come back. Oddly enough, Patrick Vieira does not trust Eberechi Eza, so if Zaha leaves, the tendency to individualism will remain.
And then there's Michael Oliz. With just £8m from Reading in the summer of 2021, it took him a while to settle in and with just two league goals in 16 months, he's certainly not a goalscorer, but on Saturday he eclipsed Zaha and the man who gave » West Ham» their first goal. after 10 minutes, he had the mental strength to score two goals against his teammates in the next 10.
His strength, speed and dribbling gave Peak Zaha a confidence that always seemed overwhelming, say Yannick Bolasi.
Eberechi Eze is one of the creative talents that could help Palace transition to a post-Zach era. Photo: Reuters/Tony O' Brien Palace evolve without him
Hodgson surprised himself by not only securing Palace with four remaining matches, but also changing the club's culture. He brought goals and an accompanying sense of joy that had eluded him the first time he had been at the Palace. He also brought a new way of thinking, building the Palace around the collective rather than a single player. Zaha is now one of many and therefore more indispensable. It's not a team with a long ball but last season no Premier League player converted more long balls than centre-back Joachim Andersen and this season he's second only to Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves.
Cheik Doucour has taken midfielders to the next level, with Ayew scoring three goals in his last five games. Hardly like Kane, but remarkable in that he has only scored four league goals in the previous two seasons.
Hodgson remains determined not to discuss his future, and anyone who turns 76 before the start of next season, may face haste. The Premier League big man is too burdensome, but he has rid himself of the frustrations of his ill-fated stint at Watford, so if he retires for good this time, he will retire satisfied. Perhaps his successor has the opportunity to become a consigliere, but if not, then Hodgson laid the foundations for a new era at the Palace.
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