Source: Taylor Banner/Charlotte FC
Charlotte FC announced that winger/attacking midfielder Wilfried Zaha has joined the club on loan from Turkish club Galatasaray.
Zaha will occupy one of the club’s Designated Player spots, as he looks to reclaim the form he had for English Premier League side Crystal Palace. He scored 90 of his 106 goals for Crystal Palace, joining the Eagles in their academy as young as age eight.
Charlotte FC gets a player who scored in double digits in the Premier League three times, leading to a move to Galatasaray, which has not proven as prosperous. He scored eight of his nine goals for the Turkish club in his first 16 starts, but found himself out of favor and on loan to Ligue One side Lyon in France after his first campaign.
Zaha told Charlotte FC broadcaster Will Palaszczuk that he’s looking to prove he’s still the player he was in South London.
“I just need to get back on the pitch, that’s it really. I know what I can do,” Zaha told Palaszczuk. “I don’t look elsewhere for confidence, I look for confidence in myself. I’ve gone through a difficult period, but those things are things that have helped me become who I am. I just want to show what I can do to everyone.”
Source: Taylor Banner/Charlotte FC
Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith said at the beginning of the preseason the club needed to add a “goal-maker and a goal-grabber”. Zaha believes he is that kind of player.
“I changed my game from just dribbling, to mainly scoring goals now. I can do tricks, I enjoy tricks, but it’s all about scoring goals. Goals are what change games. I’m gonna try and be that person for Charlotte,” said Zaha.
Zaha joins the club on a 12-month loan with an option for Charlotte FC to extend the loan for six more months after the season. The loan extension would cover the remainder of his contract, after which Zaha would be a free agent. The Ivory Coast International says he’d be open to staying beyond the loan term.
“To be honest the plan wasn’t to hop from different cities like I have,” Zaha said. “I like to be in one place, especially for my kids as well. So [if] hopefully it goes well, I don’t see any reason why I can’t stay longer.”
Charlotte FC GM Zoran Krneta called the complexities surrounding this deal some of the most complicated he’s been around in his 20-plus years of football as an executive and agent. Still, Krneta believes Zaha can be a transformative player for Charlotte FC.
“I believe Wilfried is the player who can take us to the next level,” Krneta told Palaszczuk. “This year every competition we start, our aim is to win it. Last year was not like that, our aim was to go as far as possible. This year, playoffs are without question, it would be a failure if we don’t go to the playoffs. This year is for fighting for trophies and being in finals. Once you’re in a final, anything is possible.”
Source: Taylor Banner/Charlotte FC
Zaha completed his physical in Charlotte last weekend, and flew with the team down to Miami where they will play multiple closed-door friendlies against Nashville SC (January 24th) and Sporting KC (January 29th). The club returns to North Carolina to play its first open-door friendly against North Carolina FC in Cary on February 5th.
Charlotte FC will then travel to play in the Coachella Valley Invitational for friendlies against defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy on February 9th, Austin FC (closed-door) on February 12th, and Portland Timbers on February 15th.