Long-term target and boyhood Arsenal fan, Wilfried Zaha has, again, reiterated his desire to move to a top team from Crystal Palace.
The Ivorian has been a long-term target of the Gunners and remains one player who can shine for a big team.
He had a stint at Manchester United earlier in his career, but he struggled to make an impact and returned to Palace.
He has remained with them since but came close to joining Arsenal in 2019 when Unai Emery recommended him to the club.
The Gunners, however, decided to sign Nicolas Pepe instead for a record fee.
Pepe has shown flashes of his brilliant talents, but Zaha would probably make more impact than he has done at the Emirates.
Zaha was speaking about his future recently and reiterated his desire to leave Palace and join a team where he can challenge for trophies.
“I feel like I can have another shot at the top teams, because my dream is to win things, Zaha told The Face.
“I’m good enough to go out there and compete with the best.
“If the opportunity came, I wouldn’t turn it down, because I feel like I deserve it. It’s so I can show my kids: ‘This is what daddy won’.”
Arsenal is still rebuilding their team, do you think the Gunners should move for Zaha again?
Yes please
for 120m????
Definitely. Zaha together with Pepe, Arsenal could have a brilliant attacking force. We should have signed Zaha years ago IMO.
👍
Overrated and not as good as Pepe. End of!
What of Pepe’s ridiculous rate of ball dispossession?
Stop lying to yourself. Zaha is better than Pepe. Zaha with the same players would do better and just imagine Pepe with Crystal Palace.
Zaha is a total under achiever. Pepe has scored more, created more and played better than zaha everytime they have been on the same field. Zaha is grossly overrated and is not the player some people like to think he is. Zaha is a whinger and non producer.
You’ve not subjected them to contexts which make the stats useless because that argument is so simple. Its like saying Salah at Liverpool is better than Hazard at Chelsea. On the face of the stats it seems so but on watching its way different. Pepe is never better than Zaha and if he was at Crystal Palace boy would he would look worse than Zaha. Zaha is better than Pepe and will forever be and this is not me even saying we should sign Zaha because I objected his signing at 60m plus. He is the better player playing in a far worse team
Zaha when given the chance to prove himself, failed miserably, he couldn’t step up. The guy is a non producer.
Laughable. So now you’re taking me to the time he flopped at United to prove to me Pepe’s better?? We would be much better if Zaha played in our team from Emery’s era to today. People did same with Kane and Auba and now you never hear people comparing him to Kane. I may be an Arsenal fan but I don’t support my players blindly. I won’t force my opinion on you but why would people ignore the truth just because of stats and their dislike of a player??
KEV, my friend, you are not right or wrong, its your opinion, there is no proof, it isnt without question. YOU think we would be better with Zaha, i dont, end of. You’re not trying to justify something that is without question, i actually think Pepe is better than Zaha, you dont, that doesn’t make you right.
Except Pepe isn’t better than Zaha. The fact that you don’t want to admit that Zaha’s output is being affected by him being in a defensive Crystal Palace team means you have a problem with the player from a personal point of view and I can tell even from your comment. If it is for opinion then I can call Messi an average player because there is no universal standard but there is always the truth. He is never better than Zaha and I still say that if Zaha was here from 2018 to current we’d be much better. Some players look so bad but their stats make them look good. Its numbers against reality. You choose your choice.
There you go again Kev, you think you are right, you are not, it is just your opinion. Many think the same as you and many the same as me. You aren’t right and im wrong, its just your opinion. I prefer pepe, you prefer zaha. It doesn’t matter either way, pepe is stopping and zaha will still be at palace next season because he wont be going to a bigger team, his ship sailed.
It not that I think I’m right. Its that I know I speak the truth as everyone can have an opinion but not everyone will speak the truth. Also it doesn’t matter to me if Zaha stays at Crystal Palace as it doesn’t mean every single player in the top 6 is better than him. He’s just better and I when Arsenal is finally at the top one day every thing will establish itself in such a way that players like Pepe, Xhaka and co would either not be here or a key component of the team. I’m being honest on that one and even you know it
Kev, now you are putting words in my mouth and saying i should be honest and know you are right. You are really talking absolute BS mate. Not once have you said its your opinion and you still are talking as if its not a debate but fact. I like pepe more than zaha, end of and guess what? You like zaha! But im sorry, even though the great kev says zaha is better, it doesnt mean he is. Again a little futile because we will both be cheering pepe on next season. Well i will.
Talking BS?? I wouldn’t stoop so low to even say that about your comment because its pathetic. Btw as I have said I would give everything for Pepe to be just like Sanchez or even better so any picture painted to make it seem like I want my player to fail is bogus. I’m realistic not petty. They will all be sold or benched eventually. This is just the transitions a club in our state goes true. I know Zaha is better and I’m not saying it because I like him. Its from the eye test. If they exchanged positions he’ d be doing better and it is a fact that stats don’t tell the whole story. This is not me forcing you to accept it but its pathetic seeing the simplistic arguments people make without subjecting stats to contexts. It’s an easy escape from reality. Even Pulisic is better than Pepe from the eye test but stats say otherwise.
no club will play 100 or 120m for him considering hes injury prone and inconsistent….
50m max if Crystal Palace wants to sell
I think i need to have my 2 pennies worth here 😛
Personally I dont believe one is better than the other, although both play in similar positions they both add something different.
Would i like to have both at the club? Yes
is it likely?? No, ship sailed along time ago and frankly the money Palace would want would be too much for his age imo.
I think that even if Willian goes in the summer, we have more than enough in these positions to cover domestic competitions.
I agree. Attitude-wise he’s really poor. I’ve never seen someone throw a temper tantrum like he does. I don’t think he’s what arsenal needs in a striker. He’s better off where he is
Trev, his attitude is attrocious and he must be a pain to play with.
1. He said he want to one day show his kids what daddy won so Arsenal is a bad call for him if they go for him. What will he win with project rebuild and all? We are currently the opposite of winners.
2. For Arsenal it would not be a good idea to go for him unless a proper manager is brought in. He is 29 come November and as we are told project rebuild will take some years what is the point of expensive signings such as him?
Any big signing under Arteta is money not well spent until he complete his training. All he is doing now is devaluing our players. How much is Partey worth now? Until he becomes a complete manager he should use younger players along with the old players we have so that he can grow together with them.
Not a priority as he was 2 seasons ago. But if a deal can be done for around 30-35mil then he’s worth given a go.
He is a real treat to any defence, Zaha and Saka on both flanks will tear any defence apart.
Yes but he needs to stop diving every now and then whenever he reaches box in seek of penalty…
No thanks but I like his team mate Eze.
I agree with you and Reggie, Grandad. Arsenal has higher priority positions to fill. Nicholas Pepe, when given the opportunity has stepped up and produced. Also Martinelli, Saka, Aubameyang and Balogun are available, without looking at other Academy prospects.
Um, he wants a club where he can win trophies, not one that will be lucky to make it into the European cup.
He’s a diving cheat, game after game. Don’t want him near Arsenal. Pepe is genuinely better,many will disagree but look at the stats of Pepe’s “poor” season and Zaha’s good season.
We have Auba, Saka, Pepe, Martinelli, Nelson and even ESR that already play wing.
Pepe isn’t better than Zaha in any way, shape or form. Also stats don’t tell the whole story. Zaha’s season has been full of injury. From the eye test both at their very best its clear Zaha’s better. Pepe was a poor signing but stats can make players better than they actually are which is why I said before Pepe was signed that he didn’t have world class potential but at the time the stats were in his favor and he was an unkown so many fell for it.
I’m not saying Pepe is the best but Zaha is hardly an upgrade and considering the amount of years he’s played in EPL he is bang average too.
Pepe has a much better freekick and he has a better conversation rate for shots by far.
He’s played 28 games and come off the bench 13 times so didn’t get a lot of starts at all, don’t forget that.
Zaha has played 29 EPL games and only 1 from the bench. So please enlighten me about how his season has been full of injury? So 28 starts vs only 15 for Pepe.
You also mention nothing about how Zaha dives a lot, this cannot be debated. We have way too many players in that position already.
Zaha, in no shape or form an upgrade on Pepe. OVERATTED.
He is an upgrade on Pepe and you would know this if you watch football than just bringing up stats which hold no water because of the lack of context.
This isn’t about me arguing for Arsenal to sign Zaha. I am not saying Zaha is world class but he is not an average player. He just plays in average team that has been defensive for years which affects his output. Now as I told you those stats don’t mean anything to me. When I look at both of them Zaha is the better player. Yeah I agree that Zaha dives a lot but both at top form Zaha is better than Pepe in every way and Pepe is not special in a way that if he was at Crystal Palace he’d look better. From Emery to Arteta we would’ve been better off with Zaha than Pepe but I objected Zaha’s signing at 60m plus because I knew he wasn’t worth that but when you exchange the positions of both and imagine them at either club its clear Zaha would be doing way better.
Who was better the last time they played?
He failed when asked to step up at utd and back to his level at palace, he needs to stay there for his kids.
Which makes it worse for Pepe because Zaha’s still better.
Kev, i have tried to back up my debate, all you have done is tell me i dont understand football. Get real my friend!
You’ve just lumped numbers in front of me. I will still tell you to watch football because Pepe is not better than Zaha from the eye test which is what matters. Pepe’s stats make him better than he actually looks. It is for this same reason that even Aubameyang at his best has never been better than Harry Kane. Eye test and reality vs numbers will always prove the real winner which is also why Messi is levels apart from Ronaldo but the stats don’t make it seem so but if it does not convey reality its meaningless.
Kev, your fultile love in of Zaha is wasted, he isn’t coming to Arsenal.
Love of Zaha?? Laughable. I’m just comparing two players and the fact that I think Zaha’s better doesn’t mean I hate Pepe. I’d give a lot for him to be just like Sanchez and make us better but it don’t mean I should lie to myself.
I disagree about the defensive part of crystal Palace because we are not that attacking ourselves with all the attacking talents we have, against Palace we had just 4 shots in total n Palace had about 11 or more, at the end of the day its all falls back on stat, pepe could be better than what he is at arsenal if he is in a team that always attacking n playing to his strength and not 1 like ours dats always playing backwards and sideways, Palace has always played to zaha’s strength but same cant be said of arsenal playing to pepe’s strength, zaha might be with us and be the best and at the same time he can turn out to be the worst, you cant guarantee that until he actually does plays for us which is something we might not see, remember sanchez at man utd
will make us better
No. Because we’ve got several right-footed LWs already, such as Aubameyang, Martinelli, Nelson and Willian
If Nketiah can’t be sold and if Balogun fails as a CF, both can also be tried on the left wing. Besides, Tyreece John-Jules, Kido Taylor-Hart and George Lewis from the academy are all right-footed attackers, that like to cut inside and shoot from the left wing
We should’ve looked for the player types we don’t have, such as:
– A towering target man to score from set-pieces in the second halves, in case we can’t score from open play
– A new LB to compete with Tierney, since he’s injury-prone
– A left-footed CAM to replace Odegaard, in case we play with 4-3-3 again next season
– A left-footed DM to compete with Xhaka, if we play with a double-pivot formation next season and he can also be Xhaka’s replacement
Nelson could’ve been a far better player than he is now if only he was sent on loan after his Hoffenheim spell. Still think he has the most potential out of all our youngsters. We should send Nketiah on loan because even if we want to sell him he would go for cheap. Sending him on loan where he’d start week in and out can help us raise his value and even ascertain how good he is so we make a proper decision. Many want o sell Willock but they don’t know what he’s doing at Newcastle is what he was doing at academy level as a box to box CM so its nothing new. Its more of him fulfilling his potential. His game is stats inclined
Nelson should get his turn next season, either as Smith-Rowe’s competitor or as one of our LWs. About Nketiah, I agree that we need to loan him out if there’s no offer for him
I think Willock will also get his chances next season, because some of our deep-lying midfielders might leave. Arteta could also retry him in CAM position
GAI, I agree with your rationale. Zaha will not come cheap, has attitude problems and is coming off an injury plagued season. He should not be a priority for Arsenal.
but Auba , Willian and Nelson not good enough as a LW
Aubumayang is a center forward, Willian is way past is best and Nelson will never be good enough. Zaha is a match winner who has proven numerous times that that he can take on and beat the best teams in the league period. Just ask Chelsea Man City Liverpool oh and Man UTD. By the way he was not released by Man utd because of a lack of skills. I’ve been praying for 5 maybe 6 year’s now for Arsenal to get him as he is exactly what we have been needing. Does he dive? maybe, but so did Hazard and so does Harry Kane. The question of a comparison between Zaha and Pepe should not even be asked. The real question is, was all that money used on a 32-34 year old Willian with a return of one goal and I think 4 assists well spent? Would Zaha have been a better purchase than Willian? Bet your Arse-nal he is
No! Not only are wingers currently not a priority for us, I prefer Saka and Pepe anyway. Before we even think of another winger, the min we need:
First choice RB
First choice DM/CM
First choice PLAYMAKER
Backup GK
Backup LB
👍could even add a CF to that but can’t be too greedy I suppose.
Exactly right, TMJW. Like Jacko84, if greedy, I would add a tall physical good heading CF; however Nickolaj Moeller will be a year older and stronger and could be worth game time.
He is a master in diving. We need him no more.
In an Arsenal Jersey, he is a red card assured with the way he dives and bares his full eyes for the referees.
I would get him drugs tested with eyes that pop out like that. Lol
Rather stick with Auba, Saka, Pepe, Martinelli and Nelson for our first team wide slots. Sell/Release Willian
Yes his diving is pathetic. He is a terrible role model for football and people want him at Arsenal? Joke
i think the time for this transfer has simply passed.
👍 Now 29.
Think Palace would swap Zaha for Pepe?
If they are that stupid, lets go for it. Otherwise I think we should avoid an expensive Zaha like the plague.
JW, Arsenal would be stupid given the age difference and potential for improvement IMHO.
Two years ago, maybe. Would be costly now without resale value. So no thanks
His time has come and gone, at least from an Arsenal perspective…he’s clearly a more polished version of Pepe, but with a less lethal dominant foot…probably a moot point because in the article he spoke of wanting to win things, so he certainly won’t be looking our way for the foreseeable future
I think it’s extremely unlikely that we would buy Zaha at this time, other priorities
I could see him going to Spurs though
YAWN!!! This old overused red herring resurrected ONCE AGAIN, when all sensible Gooners realise this Zaha ship has long sailed into the distance. Not happening, won’t happen, never was happening and glad of all three truths, personally.
Our Attacks have been poor , too predictable, no counter attacks, Our corner kicks are almost useless,
Adding ZAHa would add speed and strength to the team.
yes he will