Crystal Palace centre-back Mamadou Sakho has denied that speculation surrounding Wilfried Zaha is causing distractions within the Palace camp.
The 26-year-old winger has been subjected to many rumours this summer, with Everton and Arsenal both reportedly making offers, reports the Mirror.
However, with Everton having a bid rejected and saying that “both clubs agreed that was the end of the matter”, they look to be out of the race. Then there’s Arsenal, who confirmed the signing of fellow Ivorian Nicolas Pepe yesterday, which could end their interest now Unai Emery has strengthened his side out wide.
The previous means that Zaha is now looking more likely to stay at Selhurst Park than he is to leave, but that has not stopped the speculation, with Napoli the latest club to be linked (Daily Mail).
But does all this gossip about the player affect the squad’s preparations for the new season? Apparently not, says Mamadou Sakho.
He said (via Evening Standard): “I have played for different teams, such as PSG and Liverpool. Every pre-season you have a lot of names and newspapers.
“For us, I think the team has worked really hard in pre-season. We are players, we have to talk on the pitch. Outside [of that] is like the wind.
“We are all working hard to be the best we can. Wilf is a really good player, we all know that. Just like Christian [Benteke] is, like [James] Tomkins is, like lots of players.”
It’s encouraging that Sakho is saying this about Zaha, as the squad in its current capacity needs the best preparation it can get before the new season, especially with Roy Hodgson concerned with the present state of it after a lack of signings so far.
“We definitely need players, we definitely need bodies because our squad is very small,” the Crystal Palace boss was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Also, due to the fact that Zaha is yet to return to Palace after being on holiday after the Africa Cup of Nations, it is probably hard for him to have an impact on a squad he is not even among right now.
It would be surprising if Zaha started to cause disruption within the squad. Even if he does want to leave Palace, it is hard to see him not trying his best for the club. Having come through the youth ranks and had two spells with the south London outfit, he clearly has a connection with the Eagles.
And, with Arsenal and Everton seemingly out of the equation, he might not have anywhere to go anyway.
Crystal Palace fans, where does Zaha go from here? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
