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On Thursday, Crystal Palace legend Julian Speroni announced that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after an illustrious 15 years at Selhurst Park and with plenty of club records to his name.
The 39-year-old custodian has made a record number of appearances as a goalkeeper (405), has kept 112 clean sheets and has also won Palace’s player of the year award four times. Wilfried Zaha comes in second with three gongs and Speroni is hoping that the Ivorian’s trophy cabinet will outshine his own in the coming years.
What did he say?
Well, having announced his exit this summer, Speroni had this to say in an interview with Palace journalists:
“If someone is going to break (my record of four player of the year awards) it will be Wilfried and I will be so pleased for him. If someone is going to break it I hope it’s him because he deserves it, he’s done fantastically for us. Records are there to be broken so it will be broken sometime, and I hope it’s him, but who knows? We’ll see.”
Agent Speroni
With the electric number 11 surely earning admirers all of Europe, Palace could be set to lose not just club legend Speroni but a legend-in-the-making in Zaha, who has blossomed into one of the best players outside the top-six.
With 10 goals and six assists to his name this campaign, the former Manchester United winger would normally be a shoe-in for the player of the year award which went to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, although the 21-year-old Englishman is certainly a deserving winner.
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If both stars remain at SE25 next season, Zaha will have to pull off something truly special to swing the end of season vote in his favour, with Wan-Bissaka having established himself as one of the most consistent defenders in Europe.
Regardless, Speroni’s prediction that Zaha can beat his record indicates that the veteran shot-stopper is also hopeful that the 26-year-old speedster doesn’t follow him out the door this summer.
It’s doubtful that Palace fans could manage two doses of heartbreak in one transfer window, so hopefully Speroni can have some influence on Zaha’s decision whether to remain at or depart Selhurst Park in the coming months.