---
title: "Crystal Palace: Graeme Souness believes Wilfried Zaha would thrive in a more potent team"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/crystal-palace-graeme-souness-praise-wilfried-zaha-comments/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Luke Seychell"
section: "Crystal Palace"
published: "2020-05-26T18:50:28Z"
modified: "2020-05-26T18:50:28Z"
---

# Crystal Palace: Graeme Souness believes Wilfried Zaha would thrive in a more potent team

**With Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha being linked with a move away from the Eagles amid [recent interest from Newcastle](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11639887/newcastle-transfers-zaha-takeover/),** **Graeme Souness has been talking about the winger and believes he could do even more damage with better players around him.**

The former Liverpool and Rangers player, who features regularly as a pundit on Sky Sports, gave his take about the 27-year-old in a recent newspaper column.

Writing about Zaha in [The Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/who-is-your-teams-one-to-watch-dfz3mm6f7), he said: “The same applies to him as McNeil at Burnley: with better supply he could do more damage. Ask any defender and I suspect he’s the player they don’t want to be left one-on-one with right now in the Premier League.”

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It is hard to disagree with Souness here. Even though Zaha only has three goals and three assists this season, via [WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/85059/Show/Wilfried-Zaha), he has had a [prolific record](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wilfried-zaha/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/145988) in terms of goals and assists in previous years at Selhurst Park. Also, while he has a modest average of one key pass per game, it is still the fourth-highest in the Eagles’ squad, as per [WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/162/Show/England-Crystal-Palace).

It is reasonable to wonder how impressive his goal contribution figures could be if Roy Hodgson had more prolific scorers and more creative players at his disposal. Jordan Ayew is Palace’s top league scorer this season on eight goals, with Zaha and Patrick van Aanholt the next highest on three goals each, as per [WhoScored.](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/162/Show/England-Crystal-Palace)

It is clear to see his threat one-on-one, as the Ivorian [completes](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/85059/Show/Wilfried-Zaha) 4.7 successful dribbles a game, whilst he is fouled 3.2 times a game on average. Maybe if he was in a better team, where the squad was not so reliant on him, then he would be able to have more freedom and would be doing even better than he has been during his Premier League career at Palace.

***Palace fans, how crucial has Zaha been to the team over the years? Would you begrudge him a move elsewhere? Comment below with your views!***