Paul Merson has claimed that he sees clubs like Arsenal making a move to sign Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha next summer.
The Ivorian is one of the most feared attackers in the Premier League. He has been a star at Palace for a while now, but there’s a big chance he’ll leave Selhurst Park at the end of this season.
Paul Merson thinks Arsenal could make a move to sign Wilfried Zaha in 2023
Zaha has constantly been linked with a number of top clubs over the years.
It is no secret that Unai Emery wanted to sign him for Arsenal back in 2019, but the Gunners went and bought Nicolas Pepe instead after failing to agree a fee with Crystal Palace (Goal).
At the end of this season, Zaha will be a free agent, and Merson believes Arsenal could make a move to sign him. However, he has urged the Ivorian to think long and hard before agreeing to join a big club.
Merson wrote in his column on The Daily Star: “Wilfried Zaha plays every week at Crystal Palace. He can have a bad game and still start the following match and that might not happen at a Big Six club.
“I think he should seriously consider his options before running down his contract. He’s a legend at Palace and the manager loves him. I see someone like Arsenal coming in for him if they get into the Champions League but do you go there and risk becoming a bit-part player?
“You’re then going on a free. It’s not like you’re Darwin Nunez, who cost £85m and therefore has to play. Will he want to play for one week and then drop to the bench? I’m just not sure whether the grass is going to be greener for Zaha.
“He’s playing the best football of his career and there is a reason for that. He needs to sit down and have a big think about his future.”
Our View:
As a free agent, Zaha will be a very attractive option for a number of clubs in the Premier League and abroad next summer.
The Ivorian is absolutely rapid. He has all the tricks in the bag, and when he’s in full flow, he’s almost impossible to stop.
Branded as ‘unstoppable’ by Alan Brazil on talkSPORT (August 5th, 2022, 09:09 am), Zaha would be a decent option for Arsenal as a backup to Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
However, Arsenal’s transfer philosophy now is to sign young players with huge potential. Sadly for Zaha, who will turn 30 in November, he doesn’t quite check that box.