In light of Wilfried Zaha’s move to Galatasaray this summer, it has been revealed that Mauricio Pochettino always wished he had signed the winger during his time in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.
Zaha has just called time on his second, very lengthy spell with Crystal Palace after spending the last nine years with the Eagles.
(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Over the course of his career, the attacker made 458 appearances for Palace, scoring 90 goals and providing 76 assists (Transfermarkt).
Palace fans will be gutted to see their hero move on this summer, but with his contract at an end, the Ivory Coast international decided to leave London, and indeed the Premier League.
Zaha joined Turkish side Galatasaray ahead of the new season, in a move which has raised some eyebrows considering he is thought to have had offers from high-profile clubs in some of Europe’s top leagues. Both Lazio and Marseille were believed to be interested in acquiring his services (90 Min).
Pochettino wanted Wilfried Zaha at Spurs
Towards the end of last season, Tottenham were linked with Zaha (London World). That move didn’t come to fruition of course, and discussions over Zaha’s decision to join Galatasaray have reignited talk surrounding Mauricio Pochettino‘s failed attempts to bring the winger to North London previously.
Journalist Sean Walsh told the Talking Transfers podcast: “I assumed that if he wanted Champions League football he’d have gone to somewhere like Marseille. We reported that they were always looking and hoping that would be the landing spot for him.
“So were Spurs; there was a long-term interest there and that was largely driven by Pochettino. He loved a touchline winger, he wanted someone who could beat a man, and he was quite frustrated that [Zaha] was someone he never got over the line.”
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Wilf Zaha would have been an excellent addition to that Pochettino side and it’s tantalising to think what he could have done with that group of players and the style of play Poch used.
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