Holloway admits fears over keeping Arsenal, Spurs, Man Utd & Chelsea target

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha. Photo: Tony Marshall/EMPICS

Friday, January 4, 2013
8:10 AM

Ian Holloway says Crystal Palace have received no bids for Wilfried Zaha - but admits he has little control over the talented winger’s future.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all understood to be on the trail of 20-year-old Zaha, whose performances for the Eagles have made him the hottest property outside the Premier League this January.

Palace are determined to keep Zaha, who won an England cap against Sweden in November, at least until the end of the season to give themselves the best chance of promotion.

But there is a possibility they could be tempted to cash in if the buying club were to loan him back for the remainder of the campaign.

When asked if the club had received a bid, Holloway said: “No, it’s all pretty boring at the moment.”

However, the Eagles boss knows if the likes of United do come calling with a mega-money offer, his hands will be tied.

“Has anybody got any say in it?” he added. “Did Wigan have any say in losing Victor Moses to Chelsea? What chance have you got when these clubs are getting richer and richer?

“All we are trying to do is play a certain way, keep the lad playing a certain way and try to improve ourselves.

“That’s what the Palace fans want, it’s what the board want, it’s what I want and it’s what the boy wants.

“If it happens am I in control? Probably not. Is my chairman in control? Probably not. We’ll look at the deals, say, if there are deals but why worry about something that hasn’t happened?

“I’m sure the directors, who saved the club with their money, will have a say about how much they might want if it happens - is there a deal where we get him back as well? Who knows?

“I’m only concerned about my team and Wilf being a part of that team and playing as well as he did in our last game.

“I never worry, I’m a lucky person to be in charge of this group. I always cover every base but I believe Wilf’s best place is here with us at the moment.”

Zaha is set to play 45 minutes against Stoke in the FA Cup third round this weekend.