Wilfried Zaha ‘has beef’ with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish after failed deadline day transfer, says Roy Hodgson

Palace manager will look to reintegrate Zaha into his squad after his transfer request ended in failure, but his immediate future could hinge on talks with the club hierarchy

Jack de Menezes
Thursday 08 August 2019 16:19 BST
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Transfer deadline day summer 2019: The deals done so far

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Roy Hodgson has revealed that Wilfried Zaha will need to resolve his “beef” with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish and the club’s owners after they refused to sell him on transfer deadline day.

Zaha handed in a formal transfer request on Wednesday to try and force through a move away from Selhurst Park, but despite interest from Arsenal and Everton, the 26-year-old is set to remain at Palace.

Hodgson confirmed to Sky Sports News as he left the club’s training ground little more than an hour before the transfer window deadline that Zaha will remain a part of his squad, though accepted that he will need to be gradually reintegrated after sitting out training on Thursday and pushing to leave the club.

"He's staying, absolutely, and we're pleased about that," Hodgson said. "I sent him home today, it being the last day of the transfer window, because it's well documented that he wanted to leave.

"It hasn't worked out for him in that respect but now I am looking forward to seeing him do this season what he has done for us in the past few seasons.

"We respect him and he respects us and we expect him to come back and do what he does.”

But how soon it takes for Zaha to appear in a Palace shirt again could depend on how his future talks with club chairman Parish play out, with Hodgson admitting that there is a problem between the hierarchy and the player.

Arsenal saw their interest in Zaha end when they were unable to meet Palace’s valuation of the Ivory Coast international, but Everton are understood to have met those demands – only to have the goalposts subsequently moved and the offer rejected.

"His beef is with the chairman and the owners because he wanted to leave and they didn't receive an acceptable offer, but when you sign long-term contracts then you have to accept this kind of thing and come to terms with that,” Hodgson added, making reference to the five-year £130,000-a-week deal that Zaha signed this time last year.

"I certainly don't have a problem with him,” he added.

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