Edu may soon make one of the most definitive statement signings possible at Arsenal – Our View

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Arsenal have far too many tales of players they almost signed.

‘Wenger almost signed him’ has become something of a running joke amongst the fanbase, and to be fair there are plenty of examples of players the Gunners have tried and failed to land.

The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Luis Suarez have been high-profiled failed pursuits in recent years for the Gunners, but perhaps their most long-term target has been Wilfried Zaha.

The Ivorian was the subject of a £40m bid back in 2019, while there was also plenty of speculation in the summer of 2020 as well as there being a discussion about a move back in 2018.

Zaha is the epitome of a player Arsenal have wanted but have never been able to land, but that may be about to change.

Indeed, 90min are reporting that the Gunners are again keen on signing the Crystal Palace attacker, and this time Palace are ready to cash in and let him go.

We all know how good Zaha is, but that isn’t the most intriguing thing about this transfer.

Indeed, this would be a massive statement from Edu, and perhaps one of the biggest statement signings he could make.

Having joined the Gunners in 2019, Edu is still rather wet behind the ears when it comes to the technical director role, but this signing could be a real statement of the change in stance at the club in terms of their transfer policy.

For far too long Arsenal have been toothless in the market. They’ve missed out on targets and settled for second-best far too often.

However, Zaha has been in Edu’s sights for quite some time, and if he finally gets him, that would be a statement that Arsenal are no longer willing to let these types of players pass them by.

Zaha wouldn’t be a statement signing in the same way signing someone like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe would be, but it would send out the message that Edu is a transfer force to be reckoned with and that he’s a persistent negotiator who won’t let his first-choice targets end up elsewhere, even if he doesn’t succeed at the first time of asking.

Is Zaha one of the biggest names Arsenal will have ever signed? No, of course he’s not, but finally landing a player they’ve been chasing for over two years would finally show other clubs in the league that Arsenal have a bit of direction and bite when it comes to signing players.