Is Wilfried Zaha a risk Arsenal can afford to take?

BEING linked with Wilfried Zaha has been a curious experience for Arsenal fans. While there is generally a consensus that he’d be a useful addition to the squad, it’s difficult to see how he’s someone Arsenal could afford. Essentially, it’s odd seeing a club with a reported £40 million budget linked with a supposed £80 million player.

The Gunners’ opening bid – for a full £40 million – has been rejected out of hand by Palace. Now the question surrounds how far Arsenal might go to get their man. 

Arsenal’s ‘self-financing’ model, and the restrictions that brings, have led many fans to think more like Chief Financial Officers than cheerleaders. Gone are the days when transfer rumours brought pure excitement. Right now, any enthusiasm around Zaha is tempered by concerns over cost. Even if Arsenal could somehow stump up the money to land the Ivorian international, would it be wise?

Arsenal fans after hearing zaha wants a move to arsenal but then realise our budget… pic.twitter.com/Dt0QsaHCb5

— Unai's Gunmen (@Anonymous1076) July 1, 2019

There’s little doubt Zaha would provide Arsenal with something different. There is a real dearth of dribblers at the Emirates Stadium. The likes of Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have departed without adequate replacements, and Zaha’s ball-carrying brilliance would bring another dimension to their attacking play.

The departure of Danny Welbeck means Arsenal could do with a versatile forward. Zaha is often talked about as a winger, but he’s also played in central roles at Crystal Palace. Unai Emery hasn’t often deployed out-and-out wingers, but he would surely welcome the opportunity to field a wide forward who can drive infield or outside.

One of Welbeck’s most useful assets was that he brought a degree of chaos and unpredictability to the Arsenal attack. Last season, Emery’s attacking strategy of trying to get the full-backs in behind and look for cut-backs was so familiar that it ultimately became a meme. Zaha would provide an antidote to the monotony. 

His end product isn’t astonishingly good – he ended last season’s Premier League campaign with 10 goals and five assists. However, it makes him a more reliable contributor than the likes of Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the hope would be that in a better, more expansive team his numbers could improve.

According to BBC Sport – Crystal Palace are 'incensed' by Arsenal’s £40m bid for Zaha and consider their approach outdated and naive.

They are determined to keep hold of the winger, unless their £80m valuation is met. pic.twitter.com/BF8KXMakwh

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) July 2, 2019

Perhaps Arsenal recognise that Zaha might be as good as they can get this summer. It’s not uncommon to see fans comparing his virtues with countryman Nicolas Pepe, who enjoyed a breakout campaign with Lille last season. However, Pepe is being linked with the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Why would he join Arsenal – a club who can't offer him Champions League football next season?

If Arsenal are to land Zaha, they’ll have to pay considerably more than the £40 million they’ve offered so far. One suspects they know that, and this is merely the opening gambit in what could prove to be a protracted negotiation. The issue is that Zaha is worth a great deal to Palace — he’s their best player and their best hope of ensuring Premier League survival. Having just sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka for approximately £50 million, they’re under no financial pressure to sell and would be able to make a good case that the senior man should draw a higher feel. With a percentage of any fee due to Manchester United, they’ll be particularly keen to ensure they get a good deal.

In the end, Arsenal may simply not have the money required to get this transfer over the line. This feels like a deal the Gunners planned to complete if they qualified for the Champions League, with all the extra revenue that brings. Arsenal fell short, and now Zaha is having to kick up a fuss to try and drive the price down. 

David Seaman: "Arsenal need to sign defenders not Zaha" pic.twitter.com/9Uuni6dICr

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 1, 2019

Even if Arsenal could force Palace to accept an offer beneath their asking price, there’s still a debate to be had over whether or not Arsenal should be ploughing such a big proportion of their budget into a winger. Ultimately, their failure last season came down to defensive problems. Many fans will feel the club would be better served by spending that money on a top quality centre-half and entrusting attacking roles to the clubs promising batch of academy products.

With the former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat out the door, this is Raul Sanllehi’s first summer in full control of Arsenal’s transfer activity — and the first summer in which Emery has had significant input into recruitment. If the pair opt to go big for Zaha, it will be a considerable gamble—and one which they may both find themselves ultimately judged by.