Wilfried Zaha has teased a potential return to Crystal Palace by appearing to post footage from the training ground at Copers Cope.
The Ivory Coast international has left many fans speculating on social media after uploading a video of himself kicking a ball around with his son – and the background looks remarkably similar to Copers Cope.
Zaha is now a free agent after his contract with Galatasaray officially expired, so it is possible that the man born in Abidjan asked Crystal Palace to use their facilities to maintain his fitness.
While it would be exciting to have the Crystal Palace legend back at Selhurst Park, his history with Pierre Sage at Lyon makes us doubtful that a return will materialise.
Would YOU have Wilfried Zaha back? 🤔
The Ivorian is now a free agent… 👀
Why Wilfried Zaha return feels unlikely with Pierre Sage at the helm
Some Crystal Palace fans might be unaware of the fact that Zaha actually worked under Sage at Lyon in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, while on loan from Galatasaray.
The pair did not exactly get on swimmingly.
Zaha reacted poorly after being withdrawn just 52 minutes into his first Ligue 1 start back in September 2024 – before the Ivorian then allegedly refused to train in October 2024 after a UEFA Europa League clash against Rangers.
Sage then overlooked the 33-year-old for the rest of 2024 before an exit materialised with a switch to Charlotte in January 2025.
Therefore, it feels highly unlikely that the Frenchman would agree to bring Zaha, who recently clashed with Jean-Philippe Mateta too, back to Crystal Palace.
From the perspective of squad depth, however, the move would make sense.
The UEFA Europa League involves two more games in the league phase, and our lack of depth was clear for all to see last season as the UEFA Conference League – as enjoyable as that European campaign was – caused us to finish 15th in the Premier League.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Therefore, signing Zaha on a free transfer represents an intriguing proposition, so long as Sage agrees to any potential deal.
