Crystal Palace have too often attracted headlines for all the wrong reasons this season.
Whether it was their woeful run of form in 2016 under Alan Pardew, or his replacement Sam Allardyce’s unfortunate spat with a mascot dressed as a hornet, things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for the south Londoners.
As January approaches, the Eagles are hoping their luck will change. Firstly, they are hoping that Allardyce’s appointment will help to re-settle star man Wilfried Zaha.
Tottenham are set to make a renewed bid for the newly-aligned Ivory Coast international, but according to the Guardian, Palace have decided he is not for sale and will not change their stance.
Spurs’ pursuit of the attacking midfielder was going to be difficult anyway, with him joining up with his country for the African Cup of Nations in just a few weeks’ time.
And although the Lilywhites were happy to pay Palace around £30million, it seems the Premier League strugglers aren’t interested. After all, he is the focal point of their attack.
Instead, they will now have to convince him to sign a new deal, as he is only on around £40,000 a week at Selhurst Park. Palace are reportedly keen to put him on the same wages as captain Scott Dann, which would bring him up to a more appealing £65,000 a week.
Zaha may not have the experience of other stars like Yohan Cabaye or Christian Benteke, but he is just as valuable to the side.
What is clear is that Mauricio Pochettino is going to have to identify a new target over the next few days if he is intent on bolstering his attack.
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