Crystal Palace dangle £40m reward for Ian Holloway to ensure promotion

Crystal Palace have offered manager Ian Holloway a £40 million transfer budget for next season if he ensures the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

Wilfried Zaha, who scored 2 crucial goals in Palace’s semi-final second leg clash against Brighton, will play for Manchester United next season following a £15 million deal in January. Prominent goal scorer Glenn Murray is expected to be sidelined for six-twelve months following a cruciate ligament damage sustained in the first leg clash between the two sides.

Gianfranco Zola’s Watford is the last hurdle Palace face before they can make a return to top flight football after 8 long years. The Championship Final at Wembley on the 27th of May holds a lot at stake for both sides.

Co-chairman Steve Parish said: “What would promotion mean? In the current stadium over just the one season, you are probably looking at probably a £70-80m boost in revenue, which is massive.”“If we can’t spend half of that and have a good go, and spend the other half on the infrastructure of the club so that if we did come down we’ve got an even better chance of staying up the next time, there’d have to be something wrong.”

“I’m absolutely convinced we would be as ready as anybody.”

“We’ve seen Norwich and Southampton go up and keep the nucleus of their squads, then add to it, and do very well. And we’ve got a manager who’s been there.”

The Palace co-Chairman hailed the contribution of 20 year old winger Zaha, who was loaned back immediately by the Red Devils after his January signing.

He added: “I’ve never seen a kid that’s on loan from the Premier League work like that.

“You can see he’s been here since he was nine, you can see what it means to him because it wasn’t just his skills at Brighton, it was the work rate.”

Former Norwich man Aaron Wilbraham, who stepped in for the injured Murray, told Zaha that he can sign off on a high by leaving the Hornets running scared at their Championship final clash at Wembley.

“I said to him ‘everyone in the stadium from Watford will be fearing you, so don’t disappoint them.”

“He has got pace to burn and so much skill. If he gambles more in the box like he did for his first against Brighton, he will score plenty of goals.

“He is still young. Kevin Phillips and I were talking to him after the game about gambling in the box.”

“If he keeps doing that, he can score every week. He is learning still but he is an unbelievable player.”

“If he plays like that in the final, he could be the key. We need our big players to turn up and Wilf is definitely that for us.”

Palace captain Mile Jedinak added: “Wilf was quite special against Brighton and I am really happy for the kid because he gives his all for this club.

“We know we have got match-winners in our team — Wilf is just one of them.”

Source: The Sun