Arsenal: Why Wilfried Zaha wouldn’t be such a bad investment

The season is coming to a close in a few weeks which means transfer rumors will start to leak. One name we are all familiar with is Wilfried Zaha. I don’t think he’d be such a bad investment for Arsenal. Here’s why.

During the whole Alexis Sanchez exit fuss, 25-year-old Wilfried Zaha’s name was thrown around as a possible replacement for the Chilean. Like many others, I was not impressed. At that time, the Ivory Coast International was just a Manchester United reject who couldn’t fit into a top-four side. Arsenal, I thought, should be aiming higher.

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My naivety really showed though, because when I watch Zaha, little did I know he is an extremely talented footballer who could  definitely fit the bill at the Emirates. Replacing Sanchez with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and adding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang improves the attack dramatically. But one position the Gunners are still short in is out-wide.

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Alex Iwobi clearly can’t contribute much more than losing the ball and, apart from him, there’s not really another wide player available. The sales of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left Arsenal well short of wingers and apart from youngsters such as Reiss Nelson, Arsene Wenger has had to deploy attackers that are not necessarily known for their wide play, such as Danny Welbeck, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere.

Fitting Zaha into that slot will work well. The 25-year-old has been playing in the Premier League for five seasons now and has scored a handful of goals. Finding the net more frequently in recent seasons, Zaha has scored seven goals in 25 Premier League appearances this season. He has also tallied an impressive nine assists, which is extremely impressive for relegation stragglers Crystal Palace.

With a hand to play in 14 goals last season and nine this season, Zaha has a significantly better record than Iwobi’s five goals and eight assists in both seasons combined. Moreover, the Nigerian has appeared 47 times in the league since the start of 2016/17 season, which makes those stats look even more underwhelming.

The Ivorian, on the other hand, not only has Premier League experience, but his silky tricks and dribbling would be ideal in one-on-one scenarios, something that many Arsenal players lack at the moment. Zaha is the main man for Palace, having a great presence during games more often than not. But just imagine him in a team with world-class quality around him.

We may have thought it was ludicrous for Zaha to be the direct replacement for Sanchez, but it may have been our displeasure of not spending big and the absence of a big name. Now that Sanchez has been replaced by high-profile additions, its time to be reasonable. Of course, fans want a big-money replacement from a top-class team, but if they can get past that stigma, Arsenal may have a clearer vision for players with extreme talent such as Zaha.

I can’t imagine Zaha going for much more than £30- £35 million. I believe at that price, he would be worth taking the gamble on. It may turn out to be similar to Liverpool’s gamble with Sadio Mane from Southampton for £30 million, for instance, who turned out to be a revelation.

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With Zaha at only 25 years old, he still has his best years ahead of him. Maybe the Emirates is where those years should be spent.