Arsenal: Expect Ryan Frasers, not Wilfried Zahas

Arsenal are seemingly set to pursue Ryan Fraser, not Wilfried Zaha. Sadly, signings like Fraser, and not Zaha, should be expected this summer.

I think most Arsenal fans were quite on board with Wilfried Zaha the player. There were qualms about the price tag and his character, but purely as a footballer and whether he would enhance the attacking options in the squad, there are few that doubted his capabilities. In fact, most, I would argue, were very happy to see the club reportedly highlight him as a potential target.

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I was most certainly among them. I have been driving the Zaha bandwagon for some time. If I could choose a player for the Gunners to sign this summer, it would probably by the Crystal Palace winger. He would be a terrific signing.

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The problem of price, though, is a very real one. There have been reports that Palace will hold out for nothing less than £80 million. That, obviously, is well above what Arsenal can afford, and given the number of other positions that are in need of investment this summer, makes any move rather unwise.

And so, Raul Sanllehi and the club have seemingly moved in another direction, still wanting to address the winger position with a quick, creative, mid-20s solution, but looking for a cheaper alternative. According to The Independent, Arsenal are set to firm up interest in Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser after the Europa League final, hoping to secure the signing for a fee in the region of £20 million, although Bournemouth allegedly want £30 million.

Fraser is no Wilfried Zaha. He does not have the goal output of the Ivorian, he is far less skilful with the ball at his feet, and he relies on his speed to beat opponents, rather than a combination of explosive athleticism and close control like Zaha. But that does not mean that he would be useless signing. He would, he would just fall short of Zaha.

These, I think, are the signings that fans should expect from Arsenal summer. They are chasing a centre-back. It will not be Matthijs de Ligt. It probably won’t even be Samuel Umtiti. But it might be William Saliba. Or at left-back, rather than chase Ben Chilwell who will likely fetch north of £50 million, Sanllehi might turn his attention to Kieran Tierney or Nicolas Tagliafico, good players for a more reasonable price.

The squad undoubtedly needs support this summer. There are plenty of positions that lack both quality and quantity. It is now up to the club to provide the necessary help through recruitment in the transfer window. But they must do so without splashing manic amounts of money. There simply is not the budget to do so.

As a result, while it may underwhelm a tad, do not expect the Wilfried Zahas of this world. Instead, expect the Ryan Frasers. Useful, specific but cheaper alternatives. They are the players that will arrive at the Emirates this summer.