Paul Merson has written in The Daily Star that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal should sign Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha in the summer transfer window.
The former Arsenal star has said that Arsenal should cash in on winger Nicolas Pepe and sign his Ivory Coast international teammate Zaha as a replacement.
In May 2020, former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery told The Guardian that he wanted to sign Zaha in the summer of 2019, but the club decided to bring in Pepe from Lille instead.
Pepe cost £72 million in transfer fees (Sky Sports).
The winger has not been a success at Arsenal since his move, and there is speculation that the Gunners are willing to cut their losses and cash in on him this summer.
Merson wrote about Zaha in The Daily Star: “Arsenal should go back in for Wilfried Zaha and try to sign him from Crystal Palace this summer. They wanted him before and missed out.
“But Zaha wanted to join them and I don’t think he’ll stay at Palace forever. I think he would have made a difference to Arsenal. He’s better than Nicolas Pepe.
“He draws players towards him and makes things happen. It’s a good time for Mikel Arteta to buy him. You’d get him a bit cheaper and he’s a better player now than he was when they tried before. I think Pepe goes this summer if they can find a buyer, and sooner or later they will try Gabriel Martinelli up front.
“So I definitely think there is room for another winger like Zaha in the team, and I think he’d get lots of minutes. I think Zaha makes much better decisions these days. He commits players. And the way Arsenal play, he would free up space for others.”
Wilfried Zaha would make Arsenal better
In our opinion, Zaha would be a brilliant signing for Arsenal and would make Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal better and a more potent team.
The 29-year-old is at the top of his game at the moment, and we think that he would be able to make an immediate impact at the Emirates Stadium.
Palace are an established club in the Premier League, but they could sell if Arsenal offer them a decent transfer fee.
Zaha himself could be tempted to move to Arsenal, as it could be his last chance to be part of a winning team.
Pepe has scored 16 goals and created 10 big chances in 75 Premier League appearances in his career so far.
Zaha has scored 56 goals and created 44 big chances in 269 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career.
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