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.
Transfer rumour rater: Rice move hinging on Lampard, Liverpool keen on Ramos swoop
“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.
Get the latest transfer news straight into your inbox!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?
Well then sign up for the brilliant new Daily Star Sport email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.
And that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top news stories every single morning.
You can find out more information on our email newsletter on this link here.
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.”
Source: Read Full Article
