Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has revealed that he told Arsenal he wanted to join them during transfer talks in 2019.
Zaha has regularly been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park with Premier League giants Manchester United an the Gunners often linked.
The forward is an Arsenal fan and the Eagles entered talks with Arsenal over a move 18 months ago.
Though Palace are believed to have stood firm on their valuation with then-Arsenal boss Unai Emery opting to splash the cash of Nicolas Pepe instead.
"I had a conversation with the manager," Zaha told Jamie Carragher’s The Greatest Game Podcast.
"[Unai] Emery was just like, ‘We don’t really need to go through much’. He said he’d seen me play, he knows I can change games at any time and stuff like that.
“He was like, ‘Yeah we’d love to have you’ and I was just like, ‘Yeah I’d love to come’.
“The conversation was rather straightforward because I played against him when he was manager of Arsenal.
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“He saw what I could do, saw my work-rate, and what I could add to the team.
“Obviously, it was up to the club who they chose. And they chose Pepe over me.”
Zaha struggled last season following those talks though has shone in recent months, scoring eight goals in 15 games this campaign.
And he has questioned Arsenal’s decision to go for Pepe, who has found life tough at the Emirates, over himself.
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He added: “You’re seeing a player come from Brazil or another league – they’re always going to attract more attention.
“But, I just think if there’s a player that plays in the Premier League, you see him week in, week out. You know what he does.
“I feel like it’s a no-brainer. The other leagues are totally different.”
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