EPL

Roy Hodgson hopes Wilfried Zaha decides to stay at Crystal Palace

By Sports Desk May 19, 2023

Roy Hodgson feels Wilfried Zaha is unlikely to play again for Crystal Palace this season because of injury, but hopes he will opt to stay on at the club.

The 30-year-old suffered a hamstring problem during last week’s win over Bournemouth and is expected to miss both the trip to Fulham and the final match of the campaign against Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park.

The Ivory Coast international is out of contract in the summer, but Palace are keen for their talisman forward to agree a new deal, reported to be worth around £200,000 a week.

“The injury seems to be more serious than we would like it to be, so I fear he is not likely to play again this season – but we can only hope,” said Hodgson, whose own future at Selhurst Park remains uncertain past the end of his current interim spell.

“There are so many different grades (of injury), it is a proper strain and if it doesn’t clear up within two weeks, will take longer than that, but it won’t put his long-term future at risk at all.”

Zaha came through the Palace youth ranks and is in his second spell at the club after returning from a move to Manchester United in 2014.

The likes of Arsenal and Marseille are said to be monitoring the situation, but Hodgson hopes Palace will be able to keep him in south London.

“The club has had conversations with him (over a new contract) and those conversations will continue,” Hodgson said.

“I have no idea what the outcome will be, or how advanced they are in one direction or the other.

“All I can hope for as a Palace fan is you will be able to see him playing for Crystal Palace after this season, but I really couldn’t give you an insight or update.”

Hodgson told a press conference: “It is a good club, we have a good team which is getting stronger.

“The potential is big and they can hope next season to do better than we have been able to do this season, so all of those are very good reasons for wanting to stay.

“He has already left a big legacy, his performances over the years, coming through the ranks.

“It is more of a question of how he sees his future and where he like that future to be.”

Hodgson returned for a second spell at Selhurst Park in March following the departure of Patrick Vieira and has overseen five wins to help secure their Premier League status again.

The 75-year-old former England boss remains open to the next chapter of his lengthy coaching career.

“The future will take care of itself and I am happy to let it do so,” he said.

Midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp will not be involved at Fulham as he deals with a personal matter.

Hodgson is looking forward to returning to another of his former clubs, having helped take Fulham to the 2010 Europa League final before leaving to join Liverpool.

“I have been back (to Craven Cottage) a couple of times and have received some sort of warm welcome,” he said.

“It has always been a pleasure to attend a game there and a lot of people that I have worked with are still there.”

Hodgson added: “I have a lot of respect for (Fulham boss) Marco Silva and the way he has worked this year to produce such a good team.

“We will have to be at our best if we are going to achieve what we want with a result from the game.”

Related items

  • Haaland has 'full trust' in Guardiola to halt Man City slump Haaland has 'full trust' in Guardiola to halt Man City slump

    Erling Haaland has "full trust" in the "best manager in the world", Pep Guardiola, to get Manchester City back on track against Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday. 

    Guardiola's side have lost four matches in a row across all competitions, which is the Spaniard's longest losing run in his entire managerial career. 

    The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).

    But after putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension at the club earlier this week, Guardiola has his eyes firmly set on returning to winning ways on home soil. 

    And Haaland, who has scored 105 goals in 114 appearances under Guardiola at City, believes they can make up the gap to leaders Liverpool, who are five points ahead. 

    "When you look at what he's been doing for the club, he's not bad, is he? So he's got my full trust," Haaland told Sky Sports. 

    "And if he tells me something, I'd better do it because he knows the best in the end. Everyone knows that. So I'm sure he will find solutions now as well. I'm sure of that.

    "[Guardiola] demands us to be at our best in every training session, in every game. And that's what we need to do. It hasn't been good enough, losing four games now, but let's try to win the next."

  • Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months' Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'

    Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury. 

    White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term. 

    After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.

    It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign. 

    Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team. 

    "It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.

    "We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.

    "He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."

    Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."

    It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".

    There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday. 

    After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side. 

    Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.

    Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem. 

  • Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash

    Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.

    Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.

    A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.

    "I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.

    "I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.

    "They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."

    The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.

    "When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.

    "They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.

    "Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."

    After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).

    Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.

    "Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.

    "We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.