"Crystal Palace can today (Friday 25th January) confirm that we have agreed a fee for Wilfried Zaha with Manchester United. Wilfried has agreed personal terms and pending formalities we expect the transfer to be concluded early next week. Wilfried has been immediately loaned back to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the 2012/13 season." http://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/article/zahas-united-move-agreed-617911.aspx Must strengthen their chances of landing DJ.
Don't see how this will strengthen their chances, it was obvious this would go through and DJ and the club would know that.
Earlier in the week there were suggestions in the South London press that the transfer wouldn't be completed until the summer. http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Palace-dismiss-reports-15m-Zaha-United-deal/story-17919328-detail/story.html
Quite right. I don't see how having an extra £10m in the bank would ever come into improving your chances of buying players.
And how often do clubs buy use money from player sales to buy new players? Usually the money is used elsewhere in the club, like paying of debts etc
That wasn't my point. People were saying we had to sign Campbell before this transfer went through else palace would out price us. My point was, it was obvious this deal would go through and palace and DJ would have known that, so they'd still have done any deal they wanted to make and he would still have signed there.
This will obviously improve CP's chances. Their owners are businessmen and the best business strategy for them (like us) is to get into the EPL. To use a windfall like this on anything other than improving those chances would be a ridiculous folly. Also to all those who recently insisted that Zaha wouldn't be loaned back to CP - you were suffering from wishful thinking (a disease familiar to all City fans including me).
Not all businessmen think like that. And if they have creditor pushing for money quickly such as HMRC then they may not use the money on squad strengthening. My point though was that because they have sold a player for £10m does not automatically mean they have £10m in the bank to spend. And I never said Zaha would not be loaned back, just that such an agreement may be investigated (which it might)
The FL have already said they are investigating the Zaha loan deal now. Man Utd have said if it all goes Pete Tonge then they have a couple of kids who will be loaned to Palace instead. It would be a shock if the deal was in anyway dodgy though.
Sorry Craig, I wasn't suggesting you did. I think I was the first to mention that there could potentially be an issue with a loan back and then OLM posted a link to a story in the Mirror. I didn't see any comments that it wouldnt happen, although I wasn't on here much last night
Loaning back players can be a breach of football league rules. Any deal to loan him back is likely to be scrutinised to ensure that it doesnt before being sanctioned
Why can't a contract be future dated? What makes you think that that Palace will get the quoted "upfront" £10M right now? If that was the case and the deal was entered into in principle with heads of agreement signed subject to completion in the summer, the loan back scenario wouldn't be an issue. All depends on the small print. The deal has been struck, contracts will be signed, and the player and hard cash will be exchanged in the Summer. The extra £5M will be on add ons over the years. Zaha probably wouldn't get much, if any game time at OT this season anyway. Just a thought.
I think it's fergie pushing for the loan back to be ruled out. Just been doing some googling at it appears zaha and fergie both want him to be at old Trafford ASAP.
Maybe that's what Fergie wanted all the time - an FA investigation into the deal to put pressure on Palace. I wouldn't put it past the canny old git. Get the best deal out Palace on the principles of loaning him back, then hold a gun to Palace's head and say: - "Look here you dipsticks, do you want 15 mill or not, because if the FA rule the deal out then I'm off and taking my dosh with me - take it or leave it". Sounds very much like old rednose to me.
He would have to stand as leader of the "Fergie Rules" party mate - I don't think he'd get many votes.