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Wilfried Zaha would be a brilliant purchase for Tottenham

By Rucker Haringey

Crystal Palace's Ivorian-born English striker Wilfried Zaha runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane in London, on August 20, 2016. / AFP / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)
Crystal Palace's Ivorian-born English striker Wilfried Zaha runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane in London, on August 20, 2016. / AFP / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham should make a strong move for Wilfried Zaha

Wilfried Zaha is the latest name in a long string of attacking players to be linked with a move to Tottenham this summer. The Palace winger might not have the mystique of some of Spurs’ other targets, but he’d be a great asset for Mauricio Pochettino.

BT Sport are reporting that the English winger has already met with Palace manager Alan Pardew and requested to leave the club. Pardew informed Zaha that he’d only be permitted to leave if the club received a satisfactory financial offer. Spurs are expected to begin negotiations with Palace with an offer of somewhere around 15 million pounds.

If Tottenham are able to secure Zaha for anything under 20 million then Daniel Levy should do cartwheels. That’s well below the market value for a proven Premier League attacker. Don’t forget that Zaha is also a home-grown English talent. That only adds to his value on the market.

I’ve seen quite a few Tottenham fans criticize the potential move on Twitter. I’m willing to bet that if Zaha played for Real Betis then Spurs fans would be salivating over a potential move. His involvement in the Premier League has removed the mystique many enjoy about foreign transfers.

Of course, that’s all nonsense. Zaha is a proven Premier League commodity who’d fit in very well at Tottenham. He’s a quick winger with an eye for goal who isn’t afraid to put in a solid shift defensively. He’s the perfect answer for Spurs’ lack of a true wide threat at the moment.

If you’re still thinking of Zaha as the player who struggled under David Moyes at Manchester United then you are doing him quite a disservice. He’s been a much better player after his return to Palace. He started 30 Premier League matches for the Eagles last season and posted a very respectable Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.03.

That may not seem all that impressive, but it’s not as if Palace have been an offensive juggernaut during his time at the club. For an attacking player to post such a satisfactory player rating without being involved in a lot of goals is quite an accomplishment. It speaks to Zaha’s terrific work rate.

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My sense is that Palace will try everything they can to hold on to their talented attacker. They’ve already lost Yannick Bolasie to Everton and won’t be keen to lose another wide threat. The acquisition of Christian Benteke won’t be maximized without some wide men to cross him the ball.

The challenge for Palace is that Zaha’s head is already turned. He’s reportedly excited about the prospects of Champions League football for Spurs and Palace won’t be able to offer that in the foreseeable future. Getting a solid transfer fee from Spurs might be better than holding the player against his will.

Many Tottenham fans are criticizing the club over their interest in Zaha, but in reality it would be an excellent purchase. Wilfried Zaha could turn into a devastating force under Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs.

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