According to a recent report by the Times, Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha has asked the club to let him join Arsenal during this ongoing summer transfer period. The Sun has also mentioned that the Eagles are refusing to budge from their initial £80m valuation of the player with the Gunners only having £45m available to spend in this transfer window after they missed out on UEFA Champions League football last season.
The two clubs are still quite far off in terms of agreeing on a fee, so this transfer could take a long time to be resolved. However, recent reports of Zaha wanting to join the North London club will be a welcome bit of news for the Gunners supporters as they expect their team to bounce back and secure a top 4 berth in the upcoming campaign.
Zaha’s Brilliant Career At Crystal Palace
The Ivory Coast international had enjoyed a fantastic spell at Selhurst Park over the past few years since returning to the club back in 2015. Zaha managed to score ten goals and create ten assists in 36 matches for Palace last season across all competitions.
He has also secured nine international caps for Ivory Coast and has registered two goals for them thus far. The 26-year-old is currently playing at the peak of his career, so Arsenal will do well to prise him away from Selhurst Park in this off-season.
What Will The Ivory Coast International Add To Emery’s Team?
Zaha is one of the fastest players in Premier League football which allows him to make some lung-bursting dribbles in the offensive end of the pitch. He is gradually becoming a consistent goal-scorer and is not afraid to run the channels on the counter. The former Manchester United prospect has also built a reputation of earning penalties for his team as he can be quite a tricky prospect to deal with for the opposing defenders.
However, there are still some concerns over whether Zaha is consistent enough to pass the test at an elite club like Arsenal. Even then, there is no doubt that Unai Emery’s side would greatly benefit from acquiring the services of the Palace goal-getter this summer.
Arsenal are in dire need to bring in make some quality recruits ahead of the new season. If it means that they have to sell some players to fund moves for incoming transfers, then Emery should consider doing it as a player like Zaha could help them get back to the UEFA Champions League in the coming years. Given how the Gunners have only one out and out winger in Iwobi, it makes sense for Arsenal to get a move for Zaha done.
