I remember Gary Lineker saying that non of the Tottenham coaching staff believed that Berbatov had the personality to flourish at the highest level and that our interest and purchase surprised them.
Wilfried Zaha - Sold to Crystal Palace
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I remember Gary Lineker saying that non of the Tottenham coaching staff believed that Berbatov had the personality to flourish at the highest level and that our interest and purchase surprised them.
I'd imagine not...what that has to do with Zaha's ability as a footballer and a person I don't know though.
It's also a theory based on absolutely zero evidence.
Moyes signed Mirallas who - right now - is a far better version of Zaha. Why would he not sign Zaha?
Moyes signed Mirallas who - right now - is a far better version of Zaha. Why would he not sign Zaha?
Maybe because Mirallas is a goalscorer and Zaha isnt
He's not as good as he thinks he is. Most of his dribbles are unsuccessful anyway, and even at palace in the Championship, his end product was fairly poor. A questionable attitude is disappointing though.
I'd be surprised if he ever pulls on an England shirt again.
I'd be surprised if he ever pulls on an England shirt again.
I'd be surprised if he doesn't. Roy seems to be the only manager still high on him. He mentioned him at the dinner he had before the recent international. He has a lot to prove.
In fairness I doubt Moyes would have signed him as he seemed to be mainly after experienced players last summer. Whether he's his type of player I'm not sure either, though.
I cant think of any dribble specialists like Zaha that Everton bought or had in the team under Moyes. There's plenty of types of players Everton didnt have though. One of them was probably Mata's type and he's shown at United he still likes that type of player.
Because Moyes would have gone into it a bit more thoroughly before committing and may well have discovered his attitude problem?
It's not based on zero evidence. Fergie's method was to simply rely on the word of trusted scouts, Moyes' method is much more thorough whereby he personally watches players multiple times and looks into every facet of the individual.
Bit of a dud or do you still think he will come good?
£15m so far seems a bit of a waste, any time I have seen him he looks nowhere near worth it.
£15m so far seems a bit of a waste, any time I have seen him he looks nowhere near worth it.
The fee looks extremely excessive. I guess thats always the chance when you're signing a player from the championship, but it always looked expensive
I don't believe it was 15m up front, but based on various performance clauses very few of which he/we will have met so far(12 mil up front I think). And because of the type of talent he is and the type of season he has had as well as the rumours that he is not the best trainer its way too early to consider that fee excessive.
At his best he is very unorthodox and has been unplayable at times(albeit at championship level) the key is how he adapts over the next two season to premiership quality defending and training. At 21 however I personally think if he gets his head into gear during preseason - after the type of season he's had this year - he should be fine with another loan (this time season long) to a prem club.
I think he has - mostly though his own fault - suffered from a disruptive first half of the season, but the talent I've seen from him particularly at U21 level makes me think there is a very good player in there somewhere it will just take longer to bring out than we might have anticipated.
At his best he is very unorthodox and has been unplayable at times(albeit at championship level) the key is how he adapts over the next two season to premiership quality defending and training. At 21 however I personally think if he gets his head into gear during preseason - after the type of season he's had this year - he should be fine with another loan (this time season long) to a prem club.
I think he has - mostly though his own fault - suffered from a disruptive first half of the season, but the talent I've seen from him particularly at U21 level makes me think there is a very good player in there somewhere it will just take longer to bring out than we might have anticipated.
Am I the only one that thinks he has the tools to be a fantastic winger? He goes past people for fun, has pace, he's brave and always looking to go forward. He needs one more season on loan and needs to mature but I still think he can make that price tag look like a bargain.
He has the tools, there's no denying that. He's also a tool, there's no denying that either.
I've thought this from the outset, but it's like watching Welbeck, who has taken pills, and has been asked to go out there and try to play like an 18 year old Cristiano Ronaldo. It isn't natural, the innate technique just isn't there and it all looks a little goofy.
I'm not knocking Danny's technique there, but he doesn't try to be something he's not. With Zaha, he's a powerful, athletic lad that bites off more than he can chew. He'll be a good player, but I don't see a great one there.
I'm not knocking Danny's technique there, but he doesn't try to be something he's not. With Zaha, he's a powerful, athletic lad that bites off more than he can chew. He'll be a good player, but I don't see a great one there.
He doesn't 'go past people for fun' though. He just plays with the style of someone who usually goes past people for fun, that's about it.
Most seem to be forming their opinions off the little they have seen from him during this troubled season of his. He is a better player than he has show at times this season but needs to work much harder on linking up with his team mates. His selfishness is probably down to being the standout/go to player at Palace so long and his ability to go past players with ease at Championship level. Premiership defenders are mostly of a much higher level and he has to adapt to that which I think he will given time and with a little more application from him.
I agree with you. Personally, I think Zaha would flourish (eventually) in a team selection that included Kagawa/Mata/Rooney. He is so pacey and would be a continuous outlet for the three boys to aim passes at. Even if they chose not to use him, at least the wing back is constantly occupied.
For that to happen, he needs to improve his movement off the ball. His potential is undeniable but I'm a bit concerned by his not being able to break into the Cardiff first XI. I genuinely thought he'd go there, become the first name of the team-sheet and play his way to Brazil in the summer.
yeah that seems to be the problem. I just think his talent is very obvious and honestly believe if he puts his head down and work hard he will become a regular for us and England. Having said that, the same could be said about so many players before him. Quaresma particularly comes to mind. Hope he makes it, it would be a shame if he just threw away all that potential and ended up playing for the likes of West Ham for the rest of his career. Hopefully this season has been a wake up call.
Which is fine but it's up to him to do that and nobody else and until he does that he's just another player who has won next to feck all and deserves no special treatment.
For all of Zaha's immaturity and imperfections, let's hope he has a better chance at becoming an England regular that Quaresma ever did.
Absolutely, and I hope this season made him realise exactly that.
I'm not sure that Bebe wasn't a better piece of business.
Great another United player who has a good player in him "somewhere". Too bad most of them never seem to find that player...
At least with Bebe, we gave him a home.
Fergie was shockingly lax in his last years - the amount of crap he brought to the club! Who can ever forget Manucho, Diouf, Obertan, Bebe?
Zaha cost more than Liverpool paid for Sturridge! He always looked like a huge gamble to me. Basically we paid £15m for a 20 year old who had yet to learn to play football.
Edit: I forgot Dong. The memory was repressed.
Fergie was shockingly lax in his last years - the amount of crap he brought to the club! Who can ever forget Manucho, Diouf, Obertan, Bebe?
Zaha cost more than Liverpool paid for Sturridge! He always looked like a huge gamble to me. Basically we paid £15m for a 20 year old who had yet to learn to play football.
Edit: I forgot Dong. The memory was repressed.
Only Bebe stands out from that list. The others we pretty much recouped the money we spent and it's the kind of gambles Fergie took through out his time here.
at the bit in bold. But then again that's par for you.Diouf was a pretty good player and has got better - likely to return to the Prem next season. Dong was about the commercial opportunities - if he'd turned out to be a player it would have been a bonus. Even Obertan could have turned out ok if he'd developed a brain - there was certainly room for one in that massive skull. But your point is well taken - it was fiddling while Rome burned.
Would Moyes sign Cantona?
Bebe has scored 7 goals. No doubt who is having the better loan spell.
To be fair all sources indicate that Fergie always checks out a players background.(OK It has to be said Bebe was an impulse buy). I am surprised if Fergie didnt do so fro Zaha.
He really is a decent player. He might even be a bottom half PL winger/striker one day.
Only Bebe stands out from that list. The others we pretty much recouped the money we spent and it's the kind of gambles Fergie took through out his time here.
They were recognized as gambles certainly. But none ever looked remotely like paying off.
Meanwhile, we showed no interest in the likes of Silva and Toure. Mata's 4 year contract may have cost less than Young's, who was bought in the same transfer window.
Knee jerk apologists like yourself (I mean this literally rather than critically) try to ride two horses with one arse. The present leadership are excused for our awful performances because of a flawed inheritance, but, leaping dexterously onto the other steed, the former regime are somehow blameless as well.
(This is not the place for this argument, and it's been done to death already, so I apologize)
I think Zaha has far more of a chance of playing for England than Quaresma, so you have no worry there!
Also, Quaresma has buckets mote talent than Zaha anyway.
He can sometimes go past players easily. At Cardiff he's not found it easy at all. He has the tools to be a Valencia type winger with a bit of flair, there are lots and lots of young wide players who have more to their game than that.
Bit much to ask of him maybe. As you've said, his talent is undeniable. Whether or not he will make it - your guess is as good as mine.
I don't know Zaha never struck me like a special player to be quite honest he always looked pretty average to me even in the videos some people on here were raving about when we bought him. Maybe he will convince me otherwise one day but so far his loan spell at Cardiff hasn't contributed much to that.
He looks like he has all the attributes to become a quality winger. the hard bit is working out if that will happen. Players develop at different speeds and take different amounts of time to become quality. Maybe he will come good next season, maybe it wont be till he is 25?. Who knows?
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