Does Crystal Palace ace Wilfried Zaha have what it takes to replace Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal?
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AS exclusively revealed by SunSport on Saturday, Arsenal are lining up a £35m move for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha to replace Alexis Sanchez.
Sanchez is out of contract at the end of the current season and looks unlikely to remain at the Emirates.
He is wanted by several clubs and was a Manchester City transfer target in the summer.
Our friends at Football Whispers have delved into the statistics to see whether Zaha has what it takes to fill Sanchez’s boots in north London.
If he’d had his way, Sanchez would already be a City player.
The former Barcelona and River Plate star had set his heart on a deadline day move to the Etihad in the summer, only for Arsenal to pull the plug on the deal having been unable to secure a replacement.
It was reported at the time that Thomas Lemar of French champions Monaco was the man earmarked to take Sanchez’s spot in Arsene Wenger’s line-up. But a £92m move proved unsuccessful.
Arsenal now appear to have settled upon a target from much closer to home, viewing in-form Crystal Palace winger Zaha as the ideal replacement for the Chilean, whose Gunners career is winding down as he approaches free agency at the end of the current season.
WILF ON THE MOVE Arsenal line up £35m Wilfried Zaha transfer to replace Alexis Sanchez at the Emirates
Zaha had previously been a Tottenham transfer target. But the Ivory Coast international penned a new deal at Selhurst Park in May, committing his immediate future to the Eagles.
However, with Palace still rooted to the foot of the table, and with relegation to the Championship looking a distinct possibility after a nightmare start to the 2017/18 campaign, Zaha could hardly be blamed for having one eye on other options.
When searching for alternatives to Sanchez, Wenger will be looking for prospective targets to tick certain boxes. They must be able to match the Chilean for pace, creativity, versatility and goal threat.
So far this season, despite having missed several weeks of the campaign through injury, Zaha has outscored Sanchez with two Premier League goals to the Arsenal man’s one.
Although Sanchez netted an incredible 24 league goals last season, a tally Zaha has never come close to matching thus far in his career, with last term’s return of seven his best to date.
However, at 25, Zaha is four years Sanchez’s junior and is still developing. His finishing and ability to get into scoring positions is one of the aspects of his game that has improved most over the last 18 months.
And he is less likely to find himself in scoring situations plying for bottom side Palace than he would be at Arsenal, currently averaging 3.1 shots per game to Sanchez’s 4.3.
In terms of creativity, Zaha is showing signs of having what it takes to ensure that Sanchez is not missed at the Emirates.
Last season, the former Manchester United winger registered nine Premier League assists, one shy of Sanchez’s return for the Gunners, although Zaha is without an assist in five league outings in 2017/18, with Sanchez creating two goals for colleagues.
Key to Zaha’s potent creativity is his unique and effective dribbling style. Incredibly skilful and comfortable using either foot, the Palace star is a tricky prospect to defend against for opposition full-backs, and he is finally showing the kind of end product that was missing earlier in his career.
This season, Zaha is averaging 3.7 successful take-ons per 90 minutes in the Premier League, with Sanchez posting 2.6.
Like Sanchez, Zaha is able to play on either flank. But the Ivory Coast forward would be less comfortable if asked to perform in the kind of false nine role in which Sanchez produced his best form last season.
However, Christian Benteke’s recent injury and Palace’s lack of striking options has seen Zaha forced to start up front for the Eagles of late. Preferring to drift wide from his central berth, he hasn’t looked entirely at home as a makeshift striker, but more experience in the role could see him become a viable option as a centre-forward in time.
Stylistically, Zaha is much more in the mould of a traditional winger and as such wouldn’t be a direct, like-for-like replacement for Sanchez.
But his unpredictable style of wing play would add another dimension to Arsenal’s attack, providing a supply line for the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud.
Plus, already adjusted to the Premier League and having learned lessons from a previous move to an elite-level club that came too soon in his career, Zaha would be ready to hit the ground running.
If the Gunners can snag him for the £35m fee being mooted, they could have a real bargain on their hands.
