Player admits he rejected Palace pay rise as he was desperate to leave South London

Crystal Palace under Roy Hodgson have been brilliant to watch in the main, and they’ve begun this season as they

ended the last under the Premier League’s elder statesman.

Hodgson has proved that age is no barrier to success, and indeed, experience often wins out in the end.

It isn’t too far-fetched to think that the Eagles, who have a fantastic group of young, hungry players on their team, may come close to

matching the success of the team from the early 1990s, when Ian Wright, Mark Bright, and Alan Pardew were at the peak of their powers.

Wilfried Zaha decided that staying in south London wasn’t for him, a decision he may come to regret, whilst Vicente Guaita was

another to pack his bags and move on from Selhurst Park.

Both decided to reject pay rises to stay at the club, and though it’s believed that Zaha really took his time before making a final

decision, it appears that Guaita couldn’t wait to leave.

He was quoted by Plaza Deportiva as saying, “Crystal Palace offered me an extension on my contract and the opportunity to earn more

money, but one of the things we wanted was to return to Spain, to be a little closer to the family and experience that human warmth

because in other countries they have different customs.”

“In the club there were many things that I did not understand and it was better to put an end to it,” Atlantico also reported.

There was little doubt that the club would terminate Guaita’s employment after it appeared that he caused quite a stir at Palace.

The last thing Hodgson needed was a dissident voice disrupting the harmony in the dressing room with the current level of strong

team spirit at the club.