Former Manchester United and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha opened up about his issues with an ex-Arsenal star
Wilfried Zaha once asked to change rooms because Nicolas Pepe’s snoring was keeping him up all night.
Former Arsenal winger Pepe and Crystal Palace legend Zaha used to bunk together when they were away on international duty with Ivory Coast. But Zaha was left irate due to the ex-£72million Gunner’s snoring.
Zaha, now 33 and playing for Charlotte FC, compared the Villarreal forward’s snoring to a motorbike. He escaped Pepe’s wrath and ended up becoming Salomon Kalou’s roommate.
To his surprise, Kalou himself was all too aware of Pepe’s horrendous night time habit. Speaking on the OnTheJudy podcast, Zaha said: “Oh my days, Nicolas Pepe. Nicolas Pepe, I asked to leave the room. I went and asked to leave the room because he sounded like a motorbike.
“It was mad. Bro, it was crazy. I was like no, I can’t. They let me move and share rooms with Kalou, Salomon Kalou. And he was like, ‘Bro, I know. I moved myself.'”
Zaha’s two former clubs, Manchester United and Palace, are in Premier League action on Sunday at Selhurst Park. The south Londoners are currently flying in fifth place in the table, while United are in 10th, albeit with only two fewer points.
Expected to be leading the line for Palace will be Zaha’s former team-mate Jean-Philippe Mateta, who the Ivorian had a public spat with last month. Their row came after Mateta claimed Zaha was among team-mates to have doubted he could play for France at international level in the past.
Mateta told L’Equipe: “At Crystal Palace, right at the start, when I wasn’t even playing, I spoke about the France team in the dressing room and I had team-mates like Wilfried Zaha who were laughing.
“They said that I was mad to think about the France team when I wasn’t even playing at Crystal Palace, but I responded saying that it was my objective and that I simply had to play to show what I could do.”
Zaha, who is currently on loan from Galatasaray, categorically denied those claims and hit back in a video posted on social media. He said: “I’m sorry but my head’s on fire.
“I’ve got to clear up this Mateta situation because he doesn’t want to and this just shows me that… see the times when I was playing at Crystal Palace and all these people were watching me and it’s clear they weren’t happy for me because I never made anyone feel like s***.
“I never… everyone knows me. The only time on the pitch is when I’m passionate and all that stuff. But I’d never bully someone or say someone won’t make it here or won’t make it at all or nothing like that. It’s disgusting when I see someone that I thought was a friend do that.”
Mateta, speaking before the Conference League clash with AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park in October, revealed the pair had dealt with the situation.
“I spoke with him. Everything is good,” said the Frenchman. “We talked in private, and that’s it.”
