Paul Merson has told Chelsea why they should sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace before Arsenal do, while also comparing him with Mo Salah.
Zaha has become Palace’s talisman in recent seasons. Last term, he was their top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions. 14 of these came in the Premier League, as Palace finished 12th in the table.
And the Ivorian has begun the new campaign brilliantly, registering four goals in as many games so far. He will be looking to continue this hot streak when the Eagles travel to Newcastle United this weekend.
According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Zaha is one of the wingers Arsenal have their eye on to bolster their attacking ranks.
The Gunners would love to land Pedro Neto, but Wolves are unwilling to sell him this window. Zaha is an alternative for Arsenal officials, though he may be just as hard to sign.
On Sunday, The Independent put Chelsea in the frame to capture Zaha from Palace, therefore setting up a London transfer battle between the Blues and Arsenal.
During an interview with Sportskeeda, Merson spoke about Zaha’s future and the Chelsea links. He compared the 29-year-old with Salah and Kevin de Bruyne, who had unsuccessful spells at Chelsea before shining at other top-six clubs.
This could end up being the case for Zaha, who endured an underwhelming time at Manchester United but is now a top Prem performer.
Paul Merson talks Wilfried Zaha future
“Wilfried Zaha has been linked with a move to Chelsea. It remains to be seen if he will secure a transfer before the deadline,” Merson said.
“I think a lot of people judged him based on his Manchester United stint and I think that’s a bit unfair. The likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah didn’t quite make the grade at Chelsea, but look at them now!
“Zaha has added goals to his game and will be a really good signing for Chelsea, in my opinion.”
Chelsea have already brought in Raheem Sterling from Manchester City by paying £47.5m for the England international.
But it seems Thomas Tuchel wants another winger in his squad. This will help Chelsea challenge for the Prem title and other big trophies.
Zaha is on Chelsea’s wish list, but he is not the only attacker they are considering. Chelsea have also taken steps to capture Anthony Gordon, although Everton are desperate to retain their academy graduate.
Merson then gave his opinion on Gordon and Chelsea potentially paying £60m for him.
“I don’t understand these Anthony Gordon links,” the pundit admitted. “The kid’s a good player, but the transfer fee mentioned is enormous!
“If I was in charge of Everton and was offered to take Armando Broja or Conor Gallagher as part of a player-plus-cash deal for Gordon, I’d consider it to be the deal of the century and take it!”
Meanwhile, talks between Chelsea and Barcelona over the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have gone ‘very badly’, reports claim.