Wilfried Zaha has spent almost his entire career with Crystal Palace, but Eagles star Eberechi Eze has spoken as the Ivorian weighs up whether to extend his stay.
Eberechi Eze has urged fellow Crystal Palace favourite Wilfried Zaha to extend his stay in South London as the star man faces a big decision.
Zaha is unattached after allowing his contract at Selhurst Park to run down. The Eagles have offered the Ivorian international new terms, but there is also lucrative interest from the Saudi Pro League.
Only Eze scored more league goals for Palace than Zaha’s seven last season. And the 25-year-old, who won his first senior England cap during the Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta, has urged talisman Zaha to ignore interest from overseas and stick around.
“Of course we want him to stay at Selhurst Park,” Eze told Sky Sports after a pre-season victory over Crawley Town. “You know the quality he’s got as a player.
“You know, he’s an incredible player and an incredible person. We’ll see what happens,” Eze added. Zaha played more than 300 times for Palace since returning from Man Utd in 2015, and no player has more Premier League goals for the club.
According to the Evening Standard, Zaha is weighing up a new offer from Palace, said to be worth around £200,000 per week. Saudi giants Al Nassr are reportedly prepared to offer as much as double that amount, though, while there is also understood to be interest from Lazio and Fenerbahce.
Eze’s comments come after the England international launched the Eze Invitational. The grassroots sporting event took place in South London on July 16, with 280 children – from under-7 to under-10 age groups – taking part in a tournament sponsored by CAA Sports, Instagram, Power the Fight UK and New Balance..
“To be able to put on an event for young footballers in London, on the same pitches I grew up playing on at John Roan [playing fields], is something I am incredibly proud of,” Eze said. “I was once in exactly the same shoes as these kids, so celebrating grassroots football with them, with no costs to any players or teams, was a special feeling.
“My goal is to build out The Eze Invitational in the future, one step at a time, and continue to inspire and give back to the community that I was born and raised in,” he added. “South-East London has given so much to me in life, I hope I can repay even a fraction of that through this non-profit initiative.”
Eze, who hit 10 goals for Palace last season, starred with a goal and three assists as Roy Hodgson’s team put Crawley to the sword with a 4-0 victory. The Eagles have one more UK friendly before heading off to the US for games against Milionarios and Sevilla, while their Premier League campaign gets underway against Sheffield United on August 12.
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