Either that or he might decide if he can't join a CL club then he might as well move abroad to the US or somewhere and collect a tidy retirement sum. Having said that, he's unlikely going to get better over the next 18 months so he'll probably end up taking whatever Parish offers him, which will see him and his family set for life, he can stay in the local area and we can continue debating this issue for another few years.

At the end of the day if it wasn't for the theatrics we'd all still love him. It was noticeable against Norwich that the response from the other players to his goal was a bit subdued. Maybe they're fed up with it too?

If I had the choice of any of the attacking players with the ball in front of goal it would be Wilf and I agree that he has slowed down recently but if you have been fouled on such a regular basis and often without the free kicks ("he goes down easy" and that from a Match of the Day" co presenter).
Similarly we should replace Connor and Joel this close season then the £25m quoted above will not replace all three positions.
We really need our Captains to be in the refs ear far more than they do now to protect ALL of our skill players.
Keep Wilf by the way.

Enjoying getting up later and not having someone who knows better than me (apart from the missus of course).

Vieira wants all the players to work as a team and not simply play to earn their individual kudos. It seems that Wilf has been told of the need to be more of a team player. The question is whether, after being the darling of Palace fans for so many years, and the 'main man' during the Hodgson era ('get it to Wilf and let him do his stuff' mentality seemed to be prominent), is Wilf able and willing to become a cog in a wheel so-to-speak?

Vieira clearly wants Palace players to develop the Man City mentality of keeping the ball and probing until a colleague makes the killer run or move and give him the ball - let's not forget Vieira finished playing career at Citeh and started his coaching career there.

If Wilf knuckles down as a team player during the remaining games of the season, then he has a future at Palace if he wants it. If he continues to go it alone and ignore players in better positions as he has often done this season then will the club try and move him on in the summer?

For me, Wilf still has much to offer and I hope he buys into what Vieira wants from him, but it will require him to be less selfish.

Edited by doombear (15 Feb 2022 12.26pm)

It’s always going to be hard to consider Wilf as just another player. But as far as the playing side goes, that’s what he is. And as with so many athletes time affects his ability to improve. It’s pretty obvious Wilf, is not the high value asset he was two or three seasons back, and that is not likely to alter by the time his contract ends.
If any club should disagree and made an offer of around twenty five million, in the mean time, considering his salary implications to us, personally I would sell him now.
Much more likely is no offers of that sort will come , so as long as he comes near earning his £120,000 a week he is worth letting Viera , work on blending him into what will always need to be a team.
That £120,000 is going to be the big talking point for the club going forward,. Is he going to be worth anywhere near that in his thirties? At the moment IMHO that’s doubtful.

While there may be an element of just paper talk, at the end of the season a decision may need to be made on Wilf's future.
Wilf will then have one year remaining on his contract and if it's clear that he has no intention of signing a new contract, the club will need to make a decision as to whether to accept an offer should an acceptable one be forthcoming.
I'm sure the club would prefer not to see him walk out of the door for free.
Over recent seasons the negotiating power has been on the club's side as Wilf has been on a long term contract.
We are rapidly approaching a point where the balance of power is switching to Wilf's side, and whereas clubs may baulk at paying a large fee for him it's likely there would be some who would be interested in a free transfer even with his high wages.

rather sell him than let him go for free. I hope he wants to spend the rest of his career with us.

Live in Melbourne or Victoria, Australia?
Support Crystal Palace?

Well join the Crystal Palace Melbourne Supporters Club:
[Link]

Adelaide, South Australia? Join here:
[Link]