Podcaster Dan Cook believes Crystal Palace are ‘playing with fire’ by offering Wilfried Zaha such a hefty wage.
The Lowdown: Zaha offered bumper deal
Despite previous reports claiming that Zaha was all set to become a free agent in the summer when his current Crystal Palace contract expires, it is now being reported that the Eagles have made a last-ditch attempt to keep the Ivory Coast international.
The latest reports are suggesting that Palace have offered Zaha the chance to become the highest-paid player ever at Palace by some margin, with a £200,000-per-week contract said to be on the table for him.
It goes to show just how valued and respected Zaha still is at Selhurst Park despite now being on the wrong side of 30, however, Cook believes the touted wages for someone in the twilight years of his career could be seen as dangerous.
The Latest: Palace playing a risky game with Zaha contract offer
Cook made his claim on the HLTCO podcast when discussing the risks involved with Palace offering Zaha such a huge salary when he may not have many years left in his career at the top of his game.
He said: “I dare say, it’s not a topic that’s ever going to get universal agreement from across the board in terms of Crystal Palace fans, because whenever you’re throwing a potential contract of £200,000 a week at a 30-year-old, you end up in a situation where you’re going to be playing with fire as far as some people are concerned.
“I love Wilf with all of my heart and there is a huge part of me which would do anything to keep Wilfried Zaha at the football club for the rest of his career.
“That said, you look at a player over the age of 30 now, and who’s to say he’s not going to get one or a string of long-term injuries and become a pretty sizeable millstone around our neck in terms of his financial drain on the club?”
The Verdict: Huge offer may still not be sensible
While the natural reaction when Palace found out Zaha was looking to leave as a free agent may have been to cave into his demands and offer him whatever he wants, if you take away the emotional connection between the player and the club, this looks like a potentially poor move from Steve Parish.
Zaha is on the wrong side of 30 and has already missed five league games this season, which is the same amount he missed in the entirety of the previous campaign, which could be a sign of his body starting to take longer to recover from knocks and strains.
Therefore, it would probably make more sense to cut their ties with Zaha and allow him to leave as a free agent after being a top servant for the club – and start looking for his replacement.