Should Arsenal move for Wilfried Zaha or Pedro Neto?

Arsenal have been admirers of Wilfried Zaha for years, but a deal has never been forthcoming. Now, with the Gunners needing another wide player, it could be a case of Zaha or Pedro Neto. So, who should the club go with?

It seems like Groundhog day doesn’t it? After coming close to signing the Crystal Palace winger in 2019 when Unai Emery was manager, Arsenal have again been linked with the 29-year-old Ivorian.

With it being no secret that the Gunners want another wide player to help ease the workload on Bukayo Saka, who played all 38 league games last season, the Palace star could be the man.
While his age could be a detractor, Pedro Neto, who is seven years younger, is another player Arsenal have their eyes on and he’s said to be the club’s ‘priority target’.

Should Arsenal move for Wilfried Zaha or Pedro Neto?

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Either player would be a superb addition to the Gunners’ attack as Nicolas Pepe sealed his loan move to French side Nice overnight.

Zaha has not been secretive about his want to join the north London club, and the move came close to materialising in 2019, but the club instead opted to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille.

Zaha is a far better goal scorer than Neto, as he is coming off back-to-back seasons of double-digit goals, while Neto’s best was five back in 2019.

The Wolves winger has a bigger ceiling given his age, but does Arteta want a more experienced winger to help compliment a young attacking core?

Both have extensive experience in the Premier League, which bodes well, and Arsenal will likely have to pay less to acquire Zaha than Pedro, as the Wolves winger has a price tag of £50m.
Palace, however, will not let their star winger depart on the cheap despite his age. He’s hugely important to Patrick Vieira’s side.

Zaha is Premier League proven and has shown he can score goals regularly. But his age could be a factor that Mikel Arteta looks at. For Neto, he has not shown to be a consistent goal scorer despite being blessed with a deadly left foot, but he is seven years Zaha’s junior. A deal with Wolves, though, looks like it’ll be difficult to strike.

Which way will the Gunners go? Fans will surely be happy with either as they will raise the ceiling of what the club can do going forward; it is just a matter of Arteta working out which one he can best utilise.