Darren Bent believes West Ham could be in the running to sign exit-bound Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha on a free transfer this summer.
The Ivory Coast international’s contract has expired as of 1 July and is thought to be looking for a final shot at a new challenge after nine years with the club since his return from Manchester United.
Although his wages will be high the Hammers are on the brink of a £100million windfall from selling Declan Rice to Arsenal and Europa League football next season is thought capable of making Zaha, 30, consider an Irons swansong.
Speaking live on talkSPORT on Friday (30 June) Bent said: “There’s only a handful of clubs he could go to.”
He named Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham as possibilities for the free transfer, as Andy Goldstein noted he would still “cost you £200,000-a-week in wages”.
The pair thought that the Hammers securing Europa League football with their trophy win put them in the running, but Bent wondered: “Will Wilfried Zaha want to leave Crystal Palace to go to West Ham? I know they won the Conference League last year, just about survived in the Premier League.
“Would he see that as a step up or a step backwards? Or just as a fresh challenge?”
Bent and Goldstein settled on a Selhurst Park to London Stadium move being a “sideways step” but with the key element of European football.
Good fit?
David Moyes is in the market for attackers and is closing in on a move for Leicester’s relegated wide man Harvey Barnes.
But with Manuel Lanzini leaving and the likes of Maxwel Cornet, Pablo Fornals and European final scorer Said Benrahma all potentially at risk of being replaced there is space to add another new option.
At 30 and on big wages there is risk involved in a push for Zaha, and whether he would turn down a relatively local rival out of loyalty to Palace supporters has to be a consideration.
But if the Champions League-tier offers aren’t there for him he would surely at least consider a final crack at a European run in the next competition down.
The long-time Palace star is quite clearly Premier League-proven after 308 appearances, with 68 goals and 43 assists in that time, and there is a lot to like about the prospect of a Barnes, Zaha, Jarrod Bowen supporting cast around a central striker.
Whether Moyes feels the same will be crucial as he has to ensure that he has players that fit his system after a difficult campaign with last summer’s recruits.
There surely won’t be a shortage of interest in Zaha this summer, and a return to Selhurst Park probably can’t be entirely ruled out, but a trophy win makes any side more attractive so it is one to watch.
