The Everton winger could be an ideal alternative to Zaha
Crystal Palace are reportedly eyeing a move for Everton winger Demarai Gray during the transfer window as Roy Hodgson looks to find a potential heir to Wilfried Zaha, as his future at the club is still uncertain following the expiration of his contract
Could Crystal Palace sign Demarai Gray?
According to 90min, Everton are ready to listen to offers for Gray this summer as a plethora of Premier League clubs show interest in the player, with Palace being one
They do face stiff competition from West Ham United and Brentford, who are also keeping tabs on Gray and his situation at the Toffees, while there is also interest from the Saudi Pro League.
The left-winger has just a year left on his current contract and this could allow Hodgson to secure him for a knockdown price, and he could slot in as an ideal Zaha replacement if the 30-year-old does indeed depart the Eagles in the coming weeks.
Will Wilfried Zaha stay at Crystal Palace?
The Sun has claimed that Palace has offered Zaha a £200k-per-week four-year deal in order to convince him to stay at the club amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A winners Napoli.
After nearly 500 appearances and 90 goals across his two spells at Palace, there is no doubt the Ivorian will be missed if he does depart, however, could Gray be an ideal heir to the winger?
Having won a Premier League winners medal during the 2015/16 campaign, joining Leicester City from Birmingham City midway through the season, he has failed to add any further silverware.
He joined Everton in the summer of 2021 and enjoyed a relatively productive season despite the club coming close to relegation, registering 11 goal contributions – six goals and five assists – while his tally dipped slightly last term to seven goal contributions, suggesting he doesn’t quite offer the same clinical threat as Zaha.
Like Zaha, he is right-footed and tends to play on the left wing in order to cut inside on a regular basis.
According to WhoScored, both Zaha and Gray also like to dribble during matches, indicating that the pair love to take on defenders and this is evidenced by the duo succeeding with one and two dribbles per game respectively during the league in 2022/23.
Although the Ivory Coast international registered more shots per 90 (2.52 to 2.05), generated more shot-creating actions per 90 (3.58 to 3.37), took more touches in the attacking penalty area (143 to 104) and scored more goals (seven to four), there isn’t much between the players and Gray could certainly be a viable alternative for Hodgson this summer.
The 27-year-old winger actually delivered more crosses (173 to 39) and completed more progressive carries than Zaha last term (94 to 86) and this suggests that Gray could potentially star for the club should he join this summer, despite not having the same scoring touch as Zaha.
The £42k-per-week dynamo – who was once lauded “inspirational” by former Everton defender Martin Keown – may not be the big name that many of the Palace supporters want, yet he could well surpass expectations and become a useful addition to the squad as Hodgson is likely to embark on a new era post-Zaha.
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