‘It’s no problem at all’: Patrick Vieira insists he’s not bothered by Wilfried Zaha’s contract talks as he pushes for more consistency from his senior player as Crystal Palace climbs to the top half after win over Wolves
Wilfred Zaha scored the winner as Crystal Palace beat Wolves into the top half
Patrick Vieira praised Zaha after the match but said he needed more consistency
The Frenchman hopes Zaha will stay to continue guiding young players
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Wilfried Zaha’s contract talks are not alarming Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira, who wants more consistency from his talisman attacker.
Zaha scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the Eagles’ 2-1 win over Wolves, marking Palace’s second straight win at Selhurst Park.
The Ivory Coast international’s five-year contract with Palace expires next summer, but Vieira brushed aside any suggestion that he would be awake at night with the deal’s impending expiry.
Wilfried Zaha scored his fifth league goal of the campaign as Crystal Palace defeated Wolves 2-1
“It’s no problem at all,” Vieira said. Wilfried knows what the club thinks of him and we know what he thinks of the club.
“There will be a discussion but for myself and for the club it is important that he plays at this level and is consistent and helps the young players around him to grow and we will see what will happen.”
Still, Vieira acknowledged, Palace’s performance can sometimes still rest on the standards set by the 29-year-old homegrown talent, who joined the Eagles Academy as a 12-year-old.
Zaha scored in the 70th minute and put down a man of the match to seal Palace’s 2-1 victory
Vieira said: “If Wilfried is having a good day, I would say the team is having a good day. He is an important player on and off the pitch, he has the experience and today he was very good in possession, off possession, he worked very hard.
“But we want him to deliver this kind of performance, be consistent and allow us to follow him, and every player has to play at the level we all know he can do.
Wilfried can work with them, can be a positive example of how clinical you can be for the goal, but we’re talking about Michael (Olise) and Ebs (Eberechi Eze) – they’re young talent, they still have a lot to do learning, but they’re in a good place now.’
Olise and Eze are among the young Eagles Vieira who are hoping veteran Zaha will continue to mentor, the two coming together on Tuesday night to equalize in the second half after Adama Traore opened the scoring in the 31st minute.
Patrick Vieira praised Zaha but said he needed to maintain consistent performance levels
Vieira reiterated his belief that 24-year-old Eze, another South London resident, is making a belated plea for inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s Qatar roster.
He said: “It’s not just about the goal he scored, it’s about his overall performance. He has that talent that makes him dream of going to the World Cup.
“I think he did his best, but I think he’s really starting to understand what the game is about, how he can be decisive. He’s got that talent, but he still has things he can improve on in the last third, but he’s been very important to us since the start of the season and he’s playing really, really well.”
Steve Davis was impressed by Hugo Bueno, who made his full-length debut in the first team and set up Adama Traore with a nice cross
Wolves manager Steve Davis, meanwhile, was impressed by a young talent of his own after Hugo Bueno, on his full-length debut in the first team, set Traore’s goal with a fine delivery.
He said: ‘I thought he was excellent. Didn’t let anyone down, I think he felt that we trusted him and that we know him.
“We know he’s a character, we know what he’s capable of and he’s ready. He was ready for that moment, I thought he took it very well. I thought he was excellent tonight.’