Unai Emery is said to be seeking his board’s permission to break transfer budget in pursuit of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, according to The Sun.
Arsenal currently command a limited transfer budget of around £45million after failing to reach the Champions League. However, boss Emery will be hoping that can convince the club to allocate him the necessary funds to bring in number one attacking target Wilfried Zaha, as he embarks on a summer rebuild.
With a potential move to the Emirates in mind, we take a look at two possible knock-on effects of Zaha joining Arsenal.
No improvement
We’re going to start this off with the suggestion that nothing at all will happen. Why, you might ask? The forward line-up is the one area on the pitch that Arsenal really don’t need to improve this summer.
Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang combined to produce a mightily impressive 50 goals this season. In the Premier League, the club were the third highest scorers behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Nothing there suggests they need to improve their attacking line-up; not least allocate the bulk (or entirety) of their summer spends on another forward who might give them a few more goals and assists.
The club’s defence, on the other hand, needs some serious work. Arsenal conceded 51 goals this season, which is the highest out of anyone in the top five and the ninth strongest record in the competition. Unless they plan on outscoring their opponents, a feat that would require serious firepower (perhaps more than 10-goal Zaha), then surely it would be more prudent to sign a top class defender; someone who can command from the back; a Virgil van Dijk figure, as Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has suggested.
Arsenal sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Given Arsenal’s weak financial position, we fully expect at least one player to leave should they sign Wilfried Zaha this summer.
As it stands, Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan are the most disposal players in the forward line-up. Ozil has endured his worst season in English football to date, which saw him produce just six goals and three assists in 35 appearances and suffer a turbulent relationship with his new boss.
Mkhitaryan hasn’t prospered much, either – with six goals and seven assists to his name, and the somewhat controversial decision to deny him from travelling with the team to Baku for the Europa League final over safety fears.
However, with the German proving difficult to shift due to his mammoth £350,000 wages, the club might have more luck if they decide to sacrifice their former Manchester United star as they slowly but surely come to terms with the fact he’ll never emulate the form he showed in Germany.
Arsenal fans, do you agree with our predictions? Let us know in the comments below…
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