Charlotte FC has signed Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray until January 17, 2026 with an option to further extend Zaha's stay in the Queen city until June 30, 2026. This comes after a lengthy negotiation period where rumors swirled around the club's interest in Wilfried Zaha and Miguel Almiron. Zaha joins Charlotte as the club’s sixth designated player in franchise history. He is currently the second designated player on the roster alongside Liel Abada; the club has one DP spot open after the departure of F, Karol Swiderski.
Zaha has struggled in recent years to find form since leaving Crystal Palace, but he has the potential to be a league MVP if he can find his form and confidence once again.
Zaha is most well-known for his time spent in the Premier League with Crystal Palace. During his time at Selhurst Park he scored 90 goals and provided 52 assists across 458 games with the club. In the summer of 2023, he left the club and joined Turkish side Galatasaray where he made 43 appearances across all competitions, scoring 10 goals and adding 5 assists during the club's title winning campaign.
At the start of the 2024/25 season, he made a move to French side Lyon on loan where he struggled to find consistent form and minutes. This lack of game time gave Charlotte FC a perfect opportunity to swoop in for the Ivorian Coast winger.
Zaha’s ability to create goal scoring opportunities is exactly what the Crown needs heading into the 2025 season. Many of the Charlotte FC's previous Designated Players have struggled to consistently provide goals and assists. Charlotte FC may have finally found the game-changing DP that they have been searching for: Wilfried Zaha.
The Ivorian is renowned for his exceptional dribbling skills, pace, and constant goal scoring ability. Zaha's most impressive skill is his ability to take on defenders 1v1, frequently using his impeccable agility to leave defenders in his wake. Zaha’s arsenal of different skills will contribute greatly to other attackers in the team such as Liel Abada and Patrick Agyemang. If this front three can click early in the season, then the Crown may have the most potent attack in the league.
Images: Charlotte FC
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