Why Arsenal Should Pursue Wilfried Zaha Once Again

Emmanuel Petit believes Wilfried Zaha should still be on Arsenal’s shortlist of incomings.

Mikel Arteta is orchestrating a major overall at the Emirates this summer.

Among his likely picks, there is bound to be players more suited to the midfield and defence. Zaha was one of Unai Emery’s targets but Arsenal chose to sign Nicolas Pepe instead, a decision that has not gone down favourably amongst all fans.

Petit said via Mail Sport, “When I played for Arsenal in the late 90s, we had Marc Overmars, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires – these players were so exciting to watch.

“Zaha is an unpredictable player, you don’t know what he’s going to do with the ball.

“He’s got a strong character, and sometimes he needs to control of his emotions, but he’s exactly the kind of player Arsenal need. He’d get the fans excited and stimulate his own team-mates too.

“For ages, Arsenal haven’t had a player who could dribble or make a difference with the ball at his feet. With Zaha, they would have somebody capable of taking responsibility and not scared to take on defenders.”

While Petit is not entirely wrong, Zaha might not be the right profile of players Arsenal need right now. The Gunners are top heavy with a lot of quality lacking in other areas. They cannot afford to dish out millions on a player who is 28 and won’t be an immediate upgrade on the current side.