Crystal Palace endured a narrow 4-2 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League today, where there was no sign of Arsenal target Wilfried Zaha.
It has been said that the Gunners are keeping an eye on the Ivory Coast international ahead of the September 1st deadline, with a potential move to the Emirates Stadium on the horizon.
Now, Patrick Vieira – an Arsenal legend – has added fuel to the speculation.
What’s the story?
Well, when asked about Zaha’s fitness by The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam, the Frenchman bluntly replied: “Wilfried is not here.”
Perhaps you could take that as Vieira wanting to focus on his side’s impressive display at the Etihad Stadium, where they raced into a 2-0 lead until Erling Haaland took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a hattrick.
However, Woosnam mentions that the 46-year-old was not in the mood to take questions about Zaha, which is sure to cause some debate among Crystal Palace and Arsenal fans.
Mikel Arteta’s interest in the 29-year-old comes after he enjoyed a stunning start to the season for the south Londoners, scoring three goals in three Premier League appearances.
Arsenal should wait for Wilfried Zaha
In our view, Crystal Palace will demand a huge fee for their No.11 and talisman at this stage of the window, where there is little time to find a replacement.
Therefore, Arsenal should wait until next summer, when they will be able to sign the Ivorian on a free transfer.
Zaha has already entered the final 12 months of his contract at Selhurst Park, and having handed in a transfer request back in 2019, you would presume he will take the opportunity to join a Champions League side rather than extend his time at Crystal Palace.
Keep an eye on this situation, as more will become clear if the £130,000-a-week man is also left out of the squad to face Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
