Patrick Vieira addresses Zaha’s exit talk

Ivorian international Wilfried Zaha is being heavily linked with a move to Chelsea just a day before deadline day in England.

But Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has since come forward to clear the air about the links.

Zaha scored a stunner goal in Palace’s 1-all draw to Brentford last night at Selhurst Park Stadium. The talented frontman already has four Premier League goals this season.

The 29-year-old footballer is regarded as one of the best strikers and currently finds himself as the talk of the Premier League given his staller displays since the start of the new season.

Zaha is in the final year of his contract with Palace. But his manager reckons that the star forward will still be a Palace player after Thursday’s transfer window deadline.

When asked whether Zaha will still be a Palace player during the post-match interview, Vieira said: “I don’t have any doubt on that.”

“There’s always a question about Wilfried. As a manager, I just see the smile on his face, and when he scored that goal, he didn’t look like a player who wants to leave.

“He’s happy to wear the Palace jersey, the smile on his face, and he complains like he always does!

“But this is Wilfried, and he loves being here. The fans love him. There’s no question in my mind.”

The speedy forward advanced into the Palace first team from their academy in 2010. In his first three full seasons at Selhurst Park, he scored 18 goals across all competitions.

However, in January 2013, he was transferred to Manchester United for an initial fee of £10 million (the most expensive Crystal Palace player sold at the time), but he remained on loan at Palace until the end of the season, helping them return to the English Premier League.