Zaha’s humongous wages are about to see him return to the Premier League after one season in Turkiyë with Galatasaray.
The Ivorian forward left Crystal Palace after eight years with the club in search of a more challenging team that could guarantee him UEFA Champions League football and constant title challenges. His wages and age were an issue for many PL clubs but not for Galatasaray, who were hoping to build a super team to maintain their hold on the Turkish Super Lïg.
Zaha made 30 appearances with the Turkish champions and scored nine league goals for them as they pipped Fenerbahçe to the 2023/24 league title. He was an invaluable part of the team as they also won the Turkish Super Cup.
However, the club had to maintain the player at £300,000 per week for the entire duration of the season and that has become a burden for them. Despite signing the player to a multi-year contract, they are now ready to let him go for a cut-price deal.
A few English clubs are willing to take him including his former club Crystal Palace. However, he will have to take a pay cut to return to the top flight of English football. West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also interested in signing the former England youth international.
Palace’s interest is not confirmed, however, but the fact that the club is losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich could see them return for their former talisman who represented them over 400 times in eight years between 2015 and 2023.
Palace, however, have completed the signing of Daichi Kamada from Lazio as Oliver Glasner looks to build a team that can challenge for European places in the league. Kamada, 27, joins from Italian club Lazio on a free transfer after a year in Serie A to be reunited with Glasner, who managed him at Eintracht Frankfurt.
“I am looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League, and hopefully the club and I can achieve all of our objectives together,” said Kamada.
“Daichi is a truly exceptional talent,” said Palace chairman Steve Parish. “He has been one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders in recent seasons and his experience, technical quality and commitment mark him out as an excellent addition to our already talented squad.”
With the completion of Kamada’s signing, Palace may now turn their attention to Zaha and also to Filip Kostic, another former Glasner charge who is currently plying his trade at Juventus.
