In the final stretch of the transfer window, OL surprised everyone this summer by signing Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. But the Ivorian international’s first steps are complicated.
His name is flashy, his past in the Premier League is glorious and logically, Wilfried Zaha’s big debut is eagerly awaited at Olympique Lyonnais. Supporters are excited at the idea of seeing the former Crystal Palace scorer playing alongside Alexandre Lacazette. His sense of goal would not be too much for OL currently as the Rhone club lacked efficiency in its last two matches against Lens but especially against OM at home by playing the entire match eleven against ten. This Thursday, Lyon begins its Europa League campaign and for the first time this season, Zaha is in the group selected by Pierre Sage even if he will be too tight to start this match against Olympiakos. This competition could be the one that will allow Pierre Sage to gradually revive his 31-year-old striker in order to get him back into shape.
Zaha at OL, above all a money story?
In Türkiye in recent days, however, some rumors have reported that Wilfried Zaha is jaded and not really happy to have landed at OL in the money-time of the transfer window. A trend confirmed by Pete Sharland, journalist for the British editorial team of Eurosport, who explains that if Wilfried Zaha signed for Lyon rather than returning to England this summer, it is above all for financial reasons. “The main reason is taxes. In the UK, a law states that if you go to work in another country and return within five years, you can be taxed in both countries if you earn income outside the UK, which would have been the case of Zaha » launched the English football specialist.
On the decline, but an extraordinary scorer
A statement which should irritate OL, even if the fans of the Rhone club have picked up a player above the rest according to the British journalist, which can console them. “Zaha has always been one of the best players outside of the big English clubs. But at the same time it’s clear he works less without the ball as he gets older and I think he’s been a bit overwhelmed by the way the game has changed in England.” concludes Pete Sharland, for whom Wilfried Zaha is a little on the decline, but remains a world-class striker. At 31, will he be able to shine in Ligue 1? The question arises and in the capital of Gaul, we are impatiently awaiting the answer and we will potentially be watching for Zaha’s first minutes in the OL jersey this Thursday in the event of the Ivorian’s entry against Olympiakos.
