Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace are a perfect match - he should think twice before leaving

Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring for Crystal Palace against Arsenal
Wilfried Zaha has everything built around him at Crystal Palace Credit: Reuters
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The weekend's events will have left Crystal Palace fans with mixed feelings.

Sunday's unexpected win at Arsenal secured Premier League safety for another year the day after star man Wilfried Zaha admitted he had ambitions that extended beyond surviving a relegation battle year on year.

It has long felt inevitable that Zaha would move onto bigger things eventually. He has already jumped ship once before, albeit at too early a stage in his development, and his transfer to Manchester United in 2013 ended up failing, Zaha returning to Selhurst Park two years later.

And after Zaha on Saturday claimed he hoped to one day "play for a top club and win things at club level", it again looks like he could be off in the summer.

"For me to be better, to achieve what I know I am capable of, I have to aim to play at the very highest level, to win trophies," Zaha said in an interview with The Daily Mail. "I have to experience the Champions League. I just need the opportunity, that's it. And I'll do the rest."

Zaha has developed into a player that could certainly cut it in Europe. In one-on-one situations there aren't many players you'd like running at you less. Only Eden Hazard has completed more successful dribbles or been fouled more times in Premier League games this season than Zaha, who has won six penalties - more than 15 of the 20 teams have in total.

Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace takes on Ainsley Maitland-Niles (15) and Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal (4) during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium 
Arsenal could not handle Zaha on Sunday Credit: Getty images

He has played a huge role in Palace securing Premier League football for a sixth consecutive season. They confirmed safety with three games of the current campaign remaining with Sunday's win. Zaha ran riot, tearing past terrified Arsenal defenders throughout, winning free-kicks (which the visitors were particularly dangerous from) and scoring their second goal, taking advantage of the huge space Shkodran Mustafi left for him in behind the defence.

That sort of space is precisely what Zaha thrives on, and is the reason he is so much more effective on the road than he is at home.

Zaha has one goal from 29 shots in 13 home Premier League games this season, compared to eight goals from 16 shots in 18 away games. Only Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have scored more times away from home. 

When teams go to Selhurst Park and leave little space in behind, Zaha loses much of his threat and, with it, so do Crystal Palace. They have a far better away record than they do at home in Premier League games this season, with just five teams having gained more points on the road and only relegated Huddersfield having taken fewer at home.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have each conceded three goals in a home league game on one occasion this season. In all three of those games their opponents were Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring their second goal as Shkodran Mustafi looks dejected 
Zaha waltzed past Shkodran Mustafi on Sunday to score his eighth away goal of the season, putting him third in the standings behind Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy Credit: Reuters

Zaha led each game for dribbles completed and free-kicks won, doing vital work in relieving pressure on a defence that had spent long periods camped on the edge of their own box - in much the same way that visitors to Selhurst Park approach games.

It's easy to understand Zaha's ambitions to play in the Champions League and prove himself at a higher level, but it might be worth him considering whether he would be granted such vast swathes of space were he playing for a team like United, Arsenal or Tottenham. Deep-set defences would become a weekly obstacle - both at home and away - and that would not suit a player so devastating on the counter.

However, his decision to choose the Ivory Coast over England might play a role in making future plans. Having left little chance to prove himself on the world stage at international level, now that he represents a nation that did not even qualify for the 2018 World Cup while England made it to the semi-finals, perhaps Zaha is keen to do so in Europe's elite club competition.

But Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is not so sure.

"That was not the performance of a guy who wants to get away from his club," Hodgson said of Zaha's display at the Emirates. "He's happy at Crystal Palace. He is on a four-year contract, he is one of our highest-paid players, he is absolutely adored by the fans. I am looking forward to seeing him in a Crystal Palace shirt for many years to come."

While nobody could begrudge Zaha trying to fulfill his personal ambitions, he should recognise the special position he is in. Few players have a bond with their fans like he does, and fewer still have a team set up around them to accentuate their strengths. This is a match as perfect as they come; it might be worth Zaha enjoying it a little longer.

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