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Wilfried Zaha’s skill set is unique – rarely will you find such a potent blend of pace, power and skill in any of Europe’s top-five leagues – and it’s this which has surely made him a wanted man this summer.
Crystal Palace will be shellshocked should the tricky Ivorian depart in the coming months and replacing the aforementioned qualities in their side will be no easy feat in such a short amount of time – or perhaps it might be.
What’s the word?
Well, according to French publication Nice-Matin, the Eagles could battle Everton and Newcastle for Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin’s signature this summer, with the speedster surely having impressed with his ability to take on defenders in particular.
The Frenchman made 34 appearances for the seventh-placed outfit in 2018/19, scoring six goals and recording four assists – admittedly not the most impressive of returns in comparison to Palace’s talisman, who has 10 and 10 respectively (assists include penalties won).
While his end product could perhaps do with a little more work if he’s to reach Zaha’s heights at Selhurst Park, the foundations are clearly there for Palace to mould the 22-year-old into their next showstopper.
What’s he got in his locker?
The 7-cap youth international completes an astonishing 4.2 dribbles per game and, with pace to burn and a bag of tricks that would make a magician jealous, he’s an absolute nightmare for any full-back to deal with.
This is something he shares with Zaha, who has been lighting up Selhurst Park with his dazzling footwork for the past few years, and completes 3.4 dribbles per game in comparison – Palace fans will know that the audacious number 11 takes some beating in that department.
The Pl>ymaker FC squad name and shame the “clueless mugs” and “total chancers” who have darkened the doors of their football clubs in the video below…
Additionally, Saint-Maximin completes 1.7 key passes per game, whereas Zaha manages 1.6 – there’s not much in it at all, but the numbers show that the Nice man is capable of spotting a pass and isn’t just a show pony.
Should Zaha indeed head out the door this summer, then Roy Hodgson and Dougie Freedman should look no further than the man Transfermarkt value at £22.5m to succeed him in red and blue. He might not be at the Eagles ace’s level just yet but you wouldn’t bet against him getting there in four years.
