Tottenham are discussing summer swoop for Wilfried Zaha

Tottenham have scouted Wilfried Zaha extensively over the past 18 months, but this summer may be the time Spurs secure his services. 

Wilfried Zaha couldn’t help Crystal Palace defeat Tottenham on Wednesday, but he may be playing on the other side of the fixture next season. Spurs are strongly considering making a summer swoop for the 26-year-old attacker when the summer transfer window opens.

According to Bleacher Report, Zaha is “among the names being discussed” internally by Mauricio Pochettino and company. It’s easy to see why Spurs would be interested. Zaha is an established Premier League goal scorer who can operate on the wing and as a striker. Both spots are areas that Tottenham want to strengthen this summer.

Spurs fans will be split over the idea of adding Zaha to their favoruite squad. He happens to be one of the most polarizing players in the Premier League. There’s no doubt about his attacking talent, but his propensity to embellish contact in hopes of drawing fouls and penalties draws ire from a lot of English fans.

Tottenham are certainly aware of the questions about his mental approach to the game. It was obvious that Spurs fans targeted Zaha on Wednesday in an effort to wind him up. The tactic worked perfectly. Zaha spent more time yelling at Kieran Trippier than actually threatening Hugo Lloris‘ goal.

That doesn’t mean Spurs shouldn’t buy him. Pochettino has an amazing ability to get the most out of his players. In particular, he’s excellent at getting them to focus on what’s important on the pitch. It wasn’t that long ago when Dele Alli had a reputation for diving. He’s largely removed that from his game this season and it’s improved his play on the pitch. It’s logical to assume Pochettino can work the same sort of magic with Zaha.

In the end, this transfer, like almost every other transaction Tottenham consider, will come down to price. Palace have been loathe to consider offers for Zaha over the past year. There’s no real indication their stance will change this summer. It will likely take a significant power play from the player to force any kind of transfer through.

Even if that does happen, Zaha is still going to be an expensive purchase. It’s hard to imagine him coming to Tottenham for a sum of anything less than £50 million. Expect Palace’s initial asking price to be quite a bit higher.

Assuming that Daniel Levy can get the price down in that range, moving for Zaha would be good business. He can assume the role as Harry Kane‘s primary back-up and can also become a regular starter with Kane out on the wing. Tottenham need another goal scorer and that’s something Zaha can absolutely provide. Don’t expect a quick resolution to this transfer saga, but it’s very possible Zaha could end up as Tottenham’s premier summer addition.