Pierre Sage does not believe Wilfried Zaha will stay at Crystal Palace, even after the club legend trained with the Eagles at Copers Cope.
The Palace manager said he was pleased to see Zaha have a connection with the club and its fans again, but added: “I am happy to see he has this link with the club and fans but I don’t think that he will stay with us.”
A familiar face back in south London
Zaha is back in south London after leaving Galatasaray when his contract expired. The move brought him back to the club where he rose to prominence across two spells at Selhurst Park, making him one of Palace’s most recognizable modern figures.
The 33-year-old forward had previously left Crystal Palace in 2023 to pursue Champions League football. He then joined Lyon on loan in 2024, but that arrangement was cancelled in January 2025 before he later returned to Galatasaray this summer and was released when his deal expired.
What it means for Crystal Palace
For Palace, the situation is less about nostalgia and more about where Zaha fits, if at all, ahead of the opening day of the campaign. The club have been active in the transfer market, although they also lost Maxence Lacroix earlier in the window, so there is still work to do in shaping the squad.
Sage’s comments suggest a comeback deal is not the expectation at this stage. Zaha’s presence at training has sparked interest because of his status at the club, but for now it appears more like a short-term link-up than the start of a full return.
That leaves the question of whether Crystal Palace will move further with the idea before the Premier League season begins. Based on Sage’s assessment, the answer looks unlikely right now.
