Wilfried Zaha has officially left Crystal Palace and a transfer to Turkish giants, Galatasaray looms large after the Ivory Coast Winger travelled to Turkey to complete a deal. The 30-year-old has played for Crystal Palace for the vast majority of his career and is widely considered to be one of their greatest-ever players. However, upon the expiration of his contract last month Zaha has decided it's time for a new challenge.
Zaha has been mulling over his options for the past couple of weeks and has been spotted training with his former Crystal Palace teammates which prompted speculation that he was set to return to Selhurst Park. The club, who re-signed him from Manchester United back in 2015, had reportedly offered their star man a new deal worth £200,000 per week but it wasn't enough to convince him to stay.
Zaha had attracted the attention of several clubs this summer, including Napoli, Lazio, and those in Saudi Arabia, but it appears that Galatasary have now won the race for his signature. According to reports, the winger will sign a three-year deal with the Turkish champions and will earn around £8m per season. This works out at around £155,000 per week which is less than what Palace were offering him.
Zaha has long flirted with a move away from Palace and the lure of playing Champions League football at the age of 30, and the insurance of having a three-year deal, looks to have been decisive.
Wilfried Zaha ✖️ Galatasaray 🟡🔴🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/6kcvx2ib9Z
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 23, 2023
Zaha bids farewell to Selhurst Park
In confirming his decision to leave Crystal Palace last night, Zaha posted an emotional goodbye to the club and its supporters on social media site, Instagram. He said:
“As I start a new chapter I want to speak to you Palace fans who mean so much to me. We have been through so much together, including 10 years in the Premier League.
“There are loads of amazing memories that will stay in my head forever and also some really tough times along the way, but I'm so proud to have played my part in getting us to the Prem and helping to keep us there.
“I've been wearing the Palace shirt since I was eight years old, it's literally been my second skin and I always gave everything when I wore it. You have all seen me angry and frustrated, but you've also seen my hunger and passion and the joy that I take from winning, and I hope that is the memory that lives on in the minds of Palace fans.”
