Erik ten Hag is adamant Manchester United's one-sided derby defeat to Manchester City did not reflect a gulf in class between the two rivals.
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Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, has lent his weight to calls for the ECB to consider a cut-off date for future call-ups to the IPL, after his team’s early-season plans were thrown “out of the window” due to the last-minute departure of Tom Curran to Kolkata Knight Riders.Though Curran went unsold at his base price of USD156,000 during the IPL auction in February, his stock as a limited-overs allrounder rose considerably during England’s subsequent ODI series win in New Zealand.And, when Mitchell Starc was ruled out of this year’s campaign due to a shin injury, KKR swooped for Curran in a USD253,000 deal. Barely a week later, he made his debut against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, and has impressed his new employers with three wickets in two appearances to date.While Stewart did not begrudge his player either the pay packet or the high-pressure experience that he accepts will help mould Curran into a better player, he bridled at the timing of his departure, just days before the start of a County Championship campaign in which he had been expected to be a pivotal player.Curran’s departure was one of three high-profile call-ups from the county circuit this month, preceding Yorkshire’s twin losses of David Willey and Liam Plunkett to Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils respectively, and the subject was the hot topic of discussion at last week’s crisis meeting of county coaches at Edgbaston.”It’s far from ideal losing Tom so late,” Stewart said. “I hope in time this will be looked at. The IPL is not going anywhere – I fully understand players wanting to be part of it because, one, it’s a good competition and, second, it helps your bank balance.”The problem is when you get the phone calls I got for Tom, and Martyn Moxon [Yorkshire’s director of cricket] got for Willey and Plunkett. Your planning goes out of the window.”The fact that the IPL overlaps with the start of the county season has long been a bone of contention for the ECB, who were resistant to allowing their players to take part in the tournament for most of the first decade of its existence.But now, having relaxed their attitude towards English involvement, an alternative problem is rearing its head – given that the players’ efforts to get ready for the English season make them obvious oven-ready replacements for IPL franchises seeking to replace injured players.”All I think needs to be looked at is a cut-off, ideally a month before the championship starts,” Stewart said. “If you get picked up in the auction, that’s fine – it’s at the end of February, so that’s six or seven weeks before the start of the season.”Then everyone knows that, even if you don’t get picked up in the auction, there’s a three- or four-week window, but once that has gone, you can’t then go and play.”Stewart believes that the matter has been complicated by blurred lines of communication between the players, the counties, the ECB and the franchises, and says that a redrafting of the No Objection Certificate is the only way to prevent the situation being presented to the counties as a fait accompli.”How it should work is that IPL phone the ECB to ask about a player, and the ECB talk to the county. That’s how it is meant to work – but it doesn’t, though, because the franchise will ring the player or agent direct to see if they are interested and, once they are told the money, they always are – so you have to let them go.”Tom Curran and Alec Stewart share a joke last season•Getty Images
“That needs to go on the No Objection Certificate, so that the IPL know and the franchises know that’s the deal and the players understand as well. Otherwise it leaves us in a bit of a mess.”Tom will come back a better player so I don’t have a real issue with it, but the issue is who controls the players – are they our players or are they IPL players? They are under contract [to the counties] for 12 months, so I would argue they are ours. We should have more control than just saying ‘I guess you are going then’.”A further complication stems from what Stewart believes is insufficient compensation to those counties who lose out when their star players are snapped up by the IPL – an issue that came to light when Plunkett, who is on an ECB white-ball contract, was approached by Delhi earlier this month.”We have discovered that the ECB have been receiving 10% of the overall contract a player gets from IPL for a number of years and this year it is 20%,” he said. “I hope that it will now be looked at – now that we are aware that this has been happening, which we weren’t before.”Should the ECB be keeping that? Or should that money come back to the county, who are the ones who miss out? I personally believe all that money should come back to the county if you are not an ECB contracted player because of the money that has been invested.”
The ongoing takeover situation at Everton is arguably affecting matters on the pitch at the moment, and a significant new update has now emerged that throws the club's recent statement into doubt.
What's happening with Everton takeover?
The Blues have not made a good start to the season, picking up just a solitary point from their first four Premier League matches and once again looking like potential relegation fodder.
There were clear improvements in the 2-2 draw away to Sheffield United before the international break, in fairness, but it is now vital that they continue to get better, starting at home to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Away from the pitch, things are also going far from smoothly at Goodison Park, with plenty of unrest surrounding the current ownership of Farhad Moshiri, with an agreement now reached for 777 Partners to take a majority share in the club.
It is a saga that feels like it could still be ongoing, however, and the longer it goes on, the more it feels as though Sean Dyche's side will keep struggling to fully focus.
What's the latest on Everton's takeover?
According to a big update from The Mirror's David Maddock, Everton have been dealt a blow over their potential takeover, with mooted new owners 777 Partners in a legal battle that could still affect matters:
"Farhad Moshiri’s hopes of a swift deal over the future ownership of Everton have taken a blow as potential buyers, 777 Partners, face a lengthy investigation to ensure Premier League ownership regulations are met.
"The Goodison Park owner has been involved in talks with the American investment company, who already own stakes in clubs across the globe, including Hertha Berlin, Genoa, Vasco da Gama in Brazil, Sevilla, Standard Liege in Belgium and Paris club Red Star.
"But strengthened Premier League rules give them the right to block deals if owners are under investigation for certain offences, including fraud. And it is understood 777 are still subject to active proceedings alleging such offences – though the company strenuously denies the allegations, which remain unproven."
Everton fans certainly won't be keen to hear this sort of news, with some positivity so badly-needed at the club, and the reign of Moshiri becoming increasingly unpopular. Sure, the agreement has been reached, but there could seemingly yet be an issue with the Premier League Owners and Directors Test.
With a move to a new stadium coming next summer, the Blues desperately need some stability brought the club when it comes to ownership, not to mention more financial muscle in the transfer market, but this update suggests that the takeover may not be happening any time soon.
It can't be an easy situation for Dyche and his players either, and while they are professionals who should be able to do their jobs to a good standard, having a well-run football club would only aid performances and results on the pitch.
The hope is that the legal issues with 777 Partners ultimately blow over as soon as possible, but given the misery that Everton supporters have invariably gone through in recent years, it would be typical of the club for there to be a huge issue surrounding the change in ownership.
Shikhar Dhawan’s 72 off 39 balls led India to a total of 203, which they defended comfortably thanks to a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Feb-2018On a flat pitch, in the thin air of the Highveld, India’s batsmen piled up 203 for 5, and that total proved more than adequate against a South African line-up missing a number of its biggest names. A 28-run win, with starring roles for Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series, but they may not have left the Wanderers entirely thrilled about their performance, particularly with the bat.India’s batting in T20s often seems more risk-averse than the format demands, built on a platform-setting template borrowed from ODIs. This innings was different. Short and wide bowling from Dane Paterson to Rohit Sharma allowed them to plunder 18 from the first over, but they kept going after the bowling even when it wasn’t so charitable. Suresh Raina took it to an extreme, exposing all his stumps and slogging at everything to score a chancy 15 off 7 at No. 3. Dhawan also kept going hard, his top-edged hoicks over the keeper making the same impact on the scorecard as his pristinely-timed flicks over square leg and slaps either side of point.This approach, aided by the bang-it-in tactics of South Africa’s seamers, who didn’t vary their pace nearly as much as they could have, brought India 78 runs in the Powerplay. By the time a Tabraiz Shamsi skidder trapped Virat Kohli in front in the 10th over, their score had already motored past 100. A pair of leg-side boundaries from Dhawan in the 14th over, off the debutant Junior Dala, moved India to 149 for 3. Getting to 200 seemed like a given now; the question was how much more they could get.BCCIDhawan fell in the 15th over, lap-scooping an Andile Phehlukwayo slower ball to the keeper. From that point, India simply weren’t able to keep their momentum going; they only managed 46 off the last five overs, with Manish Pandey only managing one boundary in an unbeaten 27-ball innings. South Africa’s bowlers, particularly Paterson who nailed his slower balls and yorkers in the 18th and 20th overs, brought the innings back under some sort of control at the death, but Pandey struggled to come up with answers to the questions he was being asked.Still, 203 seemed like a winning total, despite the last four T20Is at this venue going to the chasing side – but how might things have panned out had South Africa fielded a full-strength batting line-up, or even if they had AB de Villiers available?Even without de Villiers and the rest of the big names, there were moments during South Africa’s innings when they seemed capable of chasing down this total. The first 15 balls of their innings, for instance, brought 28 runs, with Reeza Hendricks and JJ Smuts hitting merrily on the up. But, in Bhuvneshwar, India had a bowler who could get the ball to move sideways as well as use imperceptible changes of pace. His knuckle ball brought them the wickets of Smuts and JP Duminy, and put India firmly back on top. When Hardik Pandya followed up with a slower-ball dismissal of his own to send back David Miller, South Africa were 48 for 3 in the seventh over.South Africa weren’t done yet. Hendricks and Farhaan Behardien clattered 81 in 8.4 overs, and at one point during their fourth-wicket partnership the equation was a difficult but doable 86 off 41 balls. With all the risk-taking that task demanded, however, a wicket was always around the corner. It fell to Yuzvendra Chahal, Behardien holing out to long-on for 39. Then Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen took 25 off the next two overs, leaving 50 to get off the last three, with six wickets in hand.It took only six balls for India to wipe out four of those wickets and end the contest abruptly, South Africa crumbling in their desperation for boundaries; Bhuvneshwar grabbed three of them, in the process picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is, and a run-out did for the other.
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O Sport dorme aliviado. Após o revés no meio da semana, o Leão deu trabalho ao Palmeiras no Allianz Parque e arrancou um empate na etapa final.
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Na visão do técnico Jair Ventura, o Leão foi ‘valente’ e teve poder de reação para encarar um dos melhores elencos do país.
‘Começamos bem. Jogo equilibrado. Numa situação treinada, a gente consegue chegar muito bem, preenche a área e acaba ganhando o pênalti. Sabemos como aconteceu o primeiro gol do Palmeiras, mas o que vale é ressaltar esse grupo, que foi valente, mesmo jogando com um dos melhores elenco do país. Não sou eu que estou dizendo, a folha salarial mostra isso. Lutamos até o último minuto, e com um jogador a menos buscamos o empate’.
Com a semana livre para treinos, o Sport volta a campo no próximo domingo, quando encara o Fluminense, na Ilha do Retiro.
Everton “need to get in a new number nine” and have now made a “bid” for a £12m man described as a “breath of fresh air” and a “clever player”, per journalist Alex Crook.
Everton news – What’s the latest?
There’s no escaping from the fact that last year was yet another terrible season for the blue half of Merseyside, one that needed a final-day win to avoid ending in relegation for the historic club.
That said, the transfer business this summer has been really quite good, with the Toffees adding both quantity and quality to Sean Dyche’s squad as they hope for a slightly less eventful campaign this year.
The loan signing of Jack Harrison from Leeds United and the permanent £15m signing of 19-year-old striker Youssef Chermiti from Sporting Lisbon are probably the two stand-out arrivals at Goodison Park so far.
Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…
However, getting in Ashley Young on a free and finally securing Arnaut Danjuma on loan after their failed attempt in January also represents some great business.
And the club aren’t stopping there as they have now made an offer for Southampton and Scotland striker Che Adams worth in the region of £12m, per journalist Alex Crook.
He explained the situation live on TalkSport, with the clip then being posted to their YouTube channel:
“Che Adams, we understand that a bid is in from Everton for around about £12m. He’s in the last year of his contract, so a decision for Southampton to make. He’s actually started the season quite well, scoring a couple of goals in the championship.
“But I think Everton, they need to get in a new number nine don’t they because they just can’t rely on Dominic Calvert-Lewin to stay fit.”
How much does Che Adams earn?
The Saints man is currently on a pay packet of £30,000-a-week, or £1,560,000-a-year, which is the ninth-highest wage at Southampton now that James Ward-Prowse has left.
Should he get his move to Merseyside this summer, he can probably expect a nice raise as well, as he currently earns less than half of the team’s average weekly salary, which is around £62,000-a-week, per Capology.
He had a good enough last season and showed in glimpses that he has the required talent and attributes to make it in the Premier League and that for a team battling relegation like the Toffees, he would probably be a great fit.
In just 23 league starts last year, the Scotland international scored five goals, provided three assists, took 1.7 shots per game, won 2.2 aerial duals, won one Man-of-the-Match award and averaged a match rating of 6.59, per WhoScored.
One man who is undoubtedly a fan is Rangers and Scotland legend Ally McCoist who heaped praise on the 27-year-old, saying:
“But Adams is one I like a lot. He’s such a clever player. He’s got a bit of pace and can go in behind, and he can finish.
“He has been a breath of fresh air for us.”
Ultimately Everton could do a lot worse than Adams, and whilst he maybe isn’t the most exciting of signings, he would make a brilliant addition to Dyche’s squad this year.
The Times have shared an important update on Tottenham Hotspur and their transfer plans as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg hopes to leave alongside star striker Harry Kane.
Who will Spurs sign?
Kane, who has now flown to Germany and signed his Bayern Munich contracts as one of Thomas Tuchel's new superstars, will come as a huge, huge loss for manager Ange Postecoglou.
The 30-year-old had entered the last 12 months of his Spurs contract, giving Lilywhites officials the very tough decision to make of selling him this summer and avoid losing the player for nothing next year.
Kane's transfer to the Allianz Arena is a sore one to take for supporters who have long watched their star mark himself out as one of Europe's best marksmen.
Postecoglou, speaking to the press on Kane's move to Bayern yesterday, said the forward had already made up his mind on leaving this summer.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
“I had a conversation with Harry the first day he arrived and he was up front and honest, and I was the same,” the Australian said ahead of their opener against Brentford on Sunday.
“You get an indication there that he kind of made up his mind: that if the clubs agreed he would go, particularly if it was before the first game. That was my preference as well.
“There's nothing along the way that's sort of made me feel there's anything other than this outcome. None of these things happen in isolation, everyone is pretty clued into to what's going on, so from my perspective I hadn't received anything from Harry, the club or anyone else to suggest to me anything had changed about his stance."
Kane's move to the Bundesliga comes as one of the most headline-grabbing moves of this summer window, but he may not be the only high-profile departure.
Midfielder Hojbjerg, who has been a mainstay under previous Tottenham bosses, could also make a switch to Atletico Madrid, according to numerous reports.
The Times back this and claim Hojbjerg "hopes to move to Atletico", meaning the Denmark international could well follow Kane out the Spurs exit door.
As a result of this, it is believed the north Londoners are planning a triple transfer coup in the form of signing three more players this month.
This includes another new centre-back and midfielder, though it is undisclosed whether Tottenham will move for a marquee striker to succeed Kane.
How good is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg?
The 28-year-old has been a regular in recent seasons and even stood out as one of Spurs' best-performing players per 90 by average match rating, according to WhoScored.
Hojbjerg also chipped in with goals and assists from his defensive midfield position last year, with Kane being the only Spurs player to feature over more league minutes (WhoScored).
Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, speaking to Football Insider, praised the former Southampton star as an "invaluable" member of the Spurs squad last summer.
"I think they’ve got to try and do what they can to keep him," said Whelan.
"I didn’t think I’d be saying that after some of his performances when he first signed. What he’s doing right now is invaluable for that front three at Spurs.”
Riot police, bottle-throwing, selector resignations, heated debates over cricket in cabinet meetings, and an ever-growing list of injuries – the past few days in Sri Lankan cricket have been as acrimonious as any in recent memory. Every time the situation seems to have reached rock bottom, new depths, somehow, are plumbed.There remain two ODIs in Colombo, however, and though the series has been decided, Sri Lanka are playing for a little more than pride. They must win the two remaining games to seal automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. Lose them both, and they will automatically qualify only if West Indies win no more than three of their five ODIs against England next month (and do not lose the one-off game to Ireland). If Sri Lanka win one of the remaining games, then they must hope that West Indies do not win all six of their upcoming matches. But so resurgent have West Indies been this week that this is not a chance Sri Lanka will want to take. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels have also returned to West Indies’ ODI side for that series, a truce with their board having been reached.Where in the Tests Sri Lanka’s toothless bowling set the tone for each dispiriting performance, the batting has been the greater of Sri Lanka’s failings in the ODIs – the top order having failed to sustain whatever little momentum they could generate, and the middle order repeatedly failing to contend with India’s spinners.India, meanwhile, have almost seemed bored on this tour. Several batsmen have buffed their stats, and in the third match Jasprit Bumrah claimed a maiden ODI five-wicket haul, but at times all they have to do is turn up and watch the opposition sabotage themselves. Chamara Kapugedera’s decision to bat first after winning Sri Lanka’s first toss of the series, for example, was baffling – not least to some of his own team-mates.But with the series secure, this is India’s chance to test the depth in their squad. Kuldeep Yadav, who was so impressive in the West Indies, may finally get a run. Ajinkya Rahane or Manish Pandey will hope to earn a spot in the middle order – KL Rahul and Kedar Jadhav having been unconvincing in their two innings so far in the series. Virat Kohli has repeatedly expressed a preference to play his first-choice XI right through this tour, but India might gain more from these matches by giving their fringe players a run.
Sri Lanka LLLLL(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWL
For so long one of the cleverest limited-overs operators, Lasith Malinga has the chance to captain Sri Lanka. There is a good argument that in a parallel universe, where Malinga’s ankle and knee joints were not so problematic, and his attitude did not rub people up the wrong way, he could have been a wonderful long-term captain. Upul Tharanga is set to return in the fifth match, but for one match at least, it may be fascinating to get a glimpse of what kind of ODI leader Malinga might have been.In his first 22 innings in Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma had averaged 14.25, and hit only one fifty. In the space of two innings now, he has scored 54 and 124 not out. These are not good signs for Sri Lanka, who have been on the receiving end of one of the great limited-overs onslaughts at Rohit’s hands. In the second half of his innings on Sunday, Rohit began to hit effortless boundaries off good deliveries – a sign that he is nearing his best form. With Shikhar Dhawan also in good nick on this tour, restraining India’s openers represents a major challenge for the hosts.NurPhoto/Getty Images
Opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera – uncapped in ODIs – has been called up to the squad to cover for Kapugedera. With Dinesh Chandimal out and Danushka Gunathilaka still doubtful for Thursday’s match due to his shoulder strain, Munaweera could well open the innings alongside Niroshan Dickwella. If Gunathilaka does not recover in time, however, Sri Lanka may find themselves one batsman short, and may have to field Thisara Perera in the lower middle order.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka/Dilshan Munaweera, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Milinda Siriwardana 7 Thisara Perera 8 Akila Dananjaya, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Vishwa Fernando, 11 Lasith Malinga (capt.)Batsman Manish Pandey, left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav and seamer Shardul Thakur may all have an opportunity in this match, with Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar the most likely to make way.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
There was a little grass on the Khettarama surface on the eve of the match, which suggests there will be a little more pace and carry than is ordinarily seen at this venue. There is a chance afternoon and evening showers will interrupt play.
“I feel captaincy is a good challenge for me. At the moment, we have lost a few matches – yes. I have played for the last fourteen years for the national team, and I still feel we have good young players. A few good experienced players also. This is the time we have to stand up and give confidence to young players – to let them know we are still good enough to play international cricket. People think we are not top of the table, but I feel we can change that.”
Roy Hodgson may not be the star-studded appointment that the Crystal Palace supporters were expecting following the sacking of Patrick Vieira back in March, however he should guarantee some stability at the club as they looked like they were heading towards a relegation battle if their poor form had continued under the Frenchman.
With a mid-table finish certainly realistic during 2023/24, Hodgson will need to delve into the transfer market and make some signings, as Jefferson Lerma remains the only player to have arrived at the club this summer and this inactivity will surely be agitating the Selhurst Park faithful.
They have been linked with a move for Barcelona defender Sergino Dest according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo alongside fellow Premier League club Fulham, and he could be available for a bargain price of just £17m this summer.
AC Milan had the chance to make his loan signing a permanent one, however, they didn’t exercise their option, and he still remains a Barcelona player and Hodgson will need to act swiftly if he wants to bolster his defensive options ahead of next term.
Could Crystal Palace sign Sergino Dest?
The 22-year-old made just 14 appearances for the Italian side last term, suffering from a variety of injury issues during his temporary spell in Milan, and it appears as though Barcelona are ready to offload him this summer.
This should give Palace the incentive to strike and Hodgson could even ditch Nathaniel Clyne this summer as he has just one year left on his contract and the club could perhaps try and move him on for a fee during the window.
Since embarking on his second spell with Palace back in 2020, Clyne has made 63 appearances across all competitions, and he struggled last term, ranking in a lowly 19th place across the whole Palace squad for overall Sofascore rating, along with finishing the season ranked ninth for tackles per game and 13th for successful dribbles per game, indicating that he wasn’t exactly a positive influence in the side.
Despite struggling last term, Dest still managed to rank in the top 11% for successful take ons per 90 (1.38) and top 13% for tackles per 90 (2.77) across the top five European leagues, suggesting that even though he was far from consistent in terms of appearances, he was still able to take on opposition players with ease and win the ball back regularly.
The American also possesses a much greater attacking threat than Clyne, despite playing fewer matches. Across domestic games last season, Dest registered more shot-creating-actions per 90 (three to 0.99) and had a higher successful take on percentage (44.4% to 41.7%) than Clyne and this should be all the incentive Hodgson needs to make his move for the 22-year-old.
Once lauded as a “special talent” by journalist Ives Galacrep, the youngster could command a place in the Palace back line for the foreseeable future should he move to London and for a fee of just £17m, it could turn into a bargain, that’s for sure.
Crystal Palace are no closer to knowing where Wilfried Zaha will be plying his trade next season as the player has made "no decision" regarding his future yet, claims Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
Crystal Palace transfer news – what's the latest on Wilfried Zaha's contract situation?
It has been a relatively quiet start to the transfer window for Palace this summer, with their only major incoming being Colombian international Jefferson Lerma, who joined from Premier League rivals Bournemouth on a free.
The biggest story for the club this summer has been and will undoubtedly continue to be the contract situation surrounding star player and club legend Zaha.
The Ivorian international's £130,000-a-week contract with the South London side expired on July 1st, and he has since become a free agent, something the Eagles have been trying to rectify over the last few months with big offers to keep the 30-year-old at the club.
The situation has been made all the more complicated after it was revealed that any final decision from the player was being delayed due to his contract with his current agency also expiring at the end of this month, meaning a final decision will likely come in August.
In the meantime, Palace have put their cards on the table and offered the dynamic winger a contract estimated to be worth £200,000-a-week to remain at Selhurst Park.
As a free agent, Zaha has attracted the interest of several clubs outside of the Premier League, with Serie A side Lazio said to hold genuine interest in the exciting attacker.
What has Sheth said about Crystal Palace and Zaha?
Sheth was keen to stress that nothing had been decided on by the player or anyone in his camp and that his new status as a free agent had unsurprisingly piqued the interest of other clubs.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "I've just spoken to someone, just before speaking to you, who's close to the deal for Wilfried Zaha. There is still no decision.
"You mentioned that he got married over the weekend, but there is still no decision.
"He is now officially a free agent after his Crystal Palace contract expired ten days ago. There is interest in him which you would expect to be the case."
Is Wilfried Zaha a Crystal Palace legend?
It is hard to argue against Zaha being counted amongst Crystal Palace's list of legends after his performances for the club over the last decade.
Since making his debut for the Eagles at age 17, back in 2010, Zaha has made 458 appearances for the club, scoring 90 goals and assisting a further 76 along the way.
As a local lad, he is a player that fans have genuinely connected with over the years, with Palace fan and podcast presenter HLTCO describing Zaha as "a club legend in every sense."
As it stands, he is the Palace's third-highest appearance maker of all time, behind only Terry Long and Jim Cannon. His contributions to the side have been recognised by the board, who, earlier this year, commissioned a giant mural of their star player on the side of a house right next to Selhurst Park.
As the days tick down to the new Premier League season, the Palace faithful will be hoping that the new contract offer is enough to keep their "legend" just a little while longer.