Skip to content

Wilfried Zaha: Crystal Palace wingers deserves to play for top club, says Italian football agent

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Wilfried Zaha could leave Crystal Palace in January, according to Italian football agent Federico Pastorello

Wilfried Zaha could leave Crystal Palace in January, according to Italian football agent Federico Pastorello.

The Ivory Coast forward was the subject of a protracted transfer saga with Arsenal and Everton over the summer but a move did not materialise - and Zaha has since parted with his agent.

Pastorello, who moved Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United to Inter Milan before the season began, mentioned Zaha along with Napoli's Dries Mertens as two "good opportunities" in a winter window he expects to be busier than usual.

He told Sky Sports News: "If I think about a good opportunity in the market, it would be Mertens from Napoli. He is out of contract (in the summer).

"He is an amazing player. I think he will be soon the best scorer in the history of the club. He has proven himself in the Champions League because he scored in that competition and the national team. I think a player like that, out of contract is an amazing opportunity, even maybe for January.

Napoli's Dries Mertens celebrates scoring against Liverpool
Image: Napoli's Dries Mertens is out of contract next summer and could move in January

"Every player really wants to play in the Premier League at least once. So I think he would be very happy to play in the Premier League. I know him very well tactically and technically and I think he can be a successful player for the Premier League.

"Another player I also think about is Wilfried Zaha. I think he really deserves a new challenge and a top club, because he is really a top player. It is surprising me because I read about a possible move in the summer but he stayed again. But this season he is proving that he is very focused and concentrated. So think he could be another good opportunity in the January market.

Also See:

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Romelu Lukaku's agent Federico Pastorello says he feels 'ashamed' by an Italian newspaper's 'Black Friday' headline

"The January market can (usually) be really calm. As the number of transfers there is about one third as many than in the summer. But there are some very good and interesting opportunities for the clubs that sell, because maybe a club really needs that player and is ready to pay a little bit more because of emergency.

"There have been a lot of changes in the Premier League in terms of managers. Sometimes when you do that, you need to face his needs tactically. So expect maybe Tottenham being a bit more protagonist in the market, maybe Manchester United too.

"Let's see what happens in Chelsea too, because the ban is not sure. If they remove that, they may need to do something. In Europe, there are some clubs like Inter and AC Milan that maybe need to improve their squad."

Sign up for goal alerts with Sky Sports

The Premier League action keeps coming - make sure you don't miss a thing by signing up for goal alerts with the Sky Sports Score Centre app.

Download the Score Centre app for iOS devices or Android , select 'Notifications' from the 'More' section in the app main menu, then toggle on for 'Goals' to get alerts straight to your phone.

This season, you also can watch Premier League match highlights for free - without being a Sky Sports subscriber. You'll find highlights from every Premier League game - from 5.15pm on a Saturday or shortly after full-time on other days - in the Score Centre, as well as on the Sky Sports website and app plus the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.

You can follow dedicated live blogs of every Premier League game on the Sky Sports website and app and track goals as they go in with our vidiprinter page.

Win £250,000 on Wednesday!
Win £250,000 on Wednesday!

FREE TO PLAY: Do not miss your chance to land the £250,000 jackpot for the fifth time this year.

Around Sky