Turkish club Galatasaray have announced the signing of Ivory Coast international Wilfried Zaha on a free transfer.
The 30-year-old moves to the reigning Turkish Super Lig champions on a three-year deal following the expiration of his contract with Premier League side Crystal Palace, where he spent eighteen years.
Zaha, who is a product of Palace’s academy, departs Selhurst Park having scored 90 goals and provided 76 assists in 458 matches, the third most for the team, including seven goals and three assists in 28 games last campaign.
Galatasaray is delighted to announce the signing of Wilfried Zaha! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/6yglWJ9rpj
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) July 24, 2023
The Ivorian expressed his gratitude to Galatasaray and its fans for the warm welcome while also pledging to give his all to his new club.
He said: “It was a wonderful welcome. Many of our fans were there. This is how I saw how big a club Galatasaray is.”
“I will have the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time. I will give my contribution when I can and make an effort to move forward.
“To be honest, I talked to many of my friends before I came, like Drogba and Van Aanholt. Drogba told me to come here and see.
“I’ve stepped in here too. When I wear the jersey, I will give my 100 percent. We want to win the championship for our fans this season.”
Zaha began his senior career with the Eagles, but his superior qualities earned him a big move to English giants Manchester United in 2013 for £10 million, the highest amount paid for a Palace player then. The Red Devils subsequently loaned him back to Selhurst Park for another year.
However, his time at Old Trafford wasn’t as fruitful as expected, earning him a return to his beloved Palace, where he spent the last nine seasons, bagging 68 goals and providing 42 assists in 291 Premier League games there.
His flair and exceptional dribbling ability set him apart for a long time in the English top-flight, with many big-money moves turned down by Palace over the years.
Although he featured for England in the national youth teams, he switched allegiance to Ivory Coast, his birth country, in 2017 and has since played 31 matches and scored five goals, including representing the Elephants in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
