Arsenal and Wilfried Zaha: If nothing else…

Arsenal are chasing Wilfried Zaha hard this summer. While some question the value of the signing, if nothing else, at least it would reinvigorate some excitement.

The one thing that Arsenal were always famed for under Arsene Wenger was an exciting brand of football. Whether it was early teams’ raw pace and power allied with a superior technical skill to the rest pf the league at that time, or the finesse and poise of the more recent sides, stocked full of creative, ingenious midfielders that were as much artists as they were footballers, when going to watch a match at Highbury or the Emirates, you could rely on one thing: entertainment.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Big Season Review

However, as the competitiveness of the team diminished and the quality sunk, so did the excitement. The late Wenger teams were worse than just underperforming; they were boring.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

And in even in Wenger’s departure last season, much of the grace and elegance of Arsenal’s play had been replaced by a more dictated and controlled style. Unai Emery took a more hands-on approach, providing individual instructions for every player in almost every circumstance. The players were puppets on a string, not provided the same freedom of expression as they were under Wenger. That element of creativity and unpredictability was missing. You almost knew what every single player was going to do whenever they received the ball because they did the same thing every time. Again, boring.

While top-level sport is obviously all about winning, as England manager Phil Neville has gone to great pains to say throughout the Women’s World Cup this summer, football also carries an essence of beauty and artistic expression that other sports do not. There is one beautiful game, after all. And so, while I will always want Arsenal to prioritise winning, it would also be nice to see them return to an exciting, exhilarating, entertaining outfit once more also.

There are plenty of reasons to be hesitant about the Gunners’ lengthy and potentially messy pursuit of Wilfried Zaha. The £80 million price tag, the reported character concerns, the lack of consistent goal production, his failure at his previous big club move to Manchester United. But if there is one thing in Zaha’s favour it is that he is exciting, and I mean truly thrilling.

There are few players that have the edge-of-the-seat ability to create or score a goal every time they receive the ball. Eden Hazard is one. Thierry Henry had that same relentless threat. The dazzling wide players at Liverpool and Manchester City also possess this almost intangible quality. And so does Zaha. You never quite know what he is going to do next, and that, if nothing else, is a truly electrifying ride.

With his combination of scintillating skill, explosive athleticism and power, and purposeful style, Zaha is a consistent danger to the opposition. Offer him an inch and he will take not just a mile but he will embarrass the defenders as he weaves his way through a mire of tangled legs, wheeling away as he rolls the ball into the bottom corner. There are few players that are exciting, unpredictable and constantly captivating as the Ivorian.

And that, in the end, might be enough. Is he the most economical decision? Perhaps not. Are there younger, higher potential alternative targets? Probably. But is anyone as joy-inspiring and heart-thumpingly brilliant as Zaha? I am not so sure, and it would be nice to just be excited about watching Arsenal play once again.