Wilfried Zaha who has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal this summer has not told the manager and the club that he wants to leave, as per Roy Hodgson.
Reports this week have claimed that Zaha has put in a transfer request to force through a move. However, Cyrstal Palace boss Roy Hodgson doesn’t think so, as he expects the winger to remain with the club and not move anywhere else this summer.
According to Sky Sports, this is what Hodgson told the media about Zaha after the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in a pre-season friendly:
‘He has not spoken to me. I don’t know if he’s spoken to the club [asking to leave].
‘I’m just expecting him back, looking forward to working with him and seeing some of the things he can do for us.’
Zaha was away on international duty with the Ivory Coast team at the African Cup Of Nations. After the team’s exit from the tournament, the player has three weeks to relax and make a decision about his future.
It is thought that the winger wants a move to the Emirates but the initial bid was nowhere near how much Crystal Palace value him.
Arsenal boss Unai Emery is a big fan of Zaha and is very keen on bringing him to the Emirates this season and the club’s interest was cemented after the winger put in a memorable performance against them in a home game in May.
Zaha’s display ultimately ended up costing Arsenal a chance to get back into the Champions League which has resulted in them having a reduced budget and that is, in turn, making a move for Zaha a little more complicated. The North London club need to get a winger to help their attack and there are few players in the league better than the Ivorian.
If Crystal Palace are to agree for a move, the Gunners will have to get a little creative. Perhaps this might mean that they part with a player to sweeten the deal for Palace.
One thing for sure is that Zaha wants to come to the Emirates and it would be a great move for the club if they can get him. We still have some time left in the transfer window so we’ll have to wait and watch what happens.
