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‘As good as Riyad Mahrez’: Arsenal told they made massive transfer error by snubbing ‘excellent’ £60m player
Neil Warnock and Simon Jordan believe Arsenal made a big mistake signing Nicolas Pepe over Wilfried Zaha in the summer of 2019.
Unai Emery was on the lookout for a new winger before the start of his second season at Arsenal. The Spaniard wanted to set things right after losing the Europa League final in his debut campaign and he had identified the perfect player for his system.
Zaha, labelled as ‘‘ by Roy Hodgson, was Emery’s number one target that summer and he made it clear to Arsenal that he wanted him. However, the Gunners didn’t quite believe that he was worth the money that Crystal Palace were demanding.
As a result, Arsenal snubbed Zaha and signed his international teammate Nicolas Pepe for a club-record £72 million that summer. ()
Arsenal made a mistake snubbing Wilfried Zaha for Nicolas Pepe
Speaking about Zaha, Simon Jordan said on : “I think Wilfried Zaha had the ability to go on and be as good as Riyad Mahrez.
“I think he’s as good a player. The reason why Zaha hasn’t been as effective as other players is because he hasn’t played in better sides.
“Arsenal preferred to pay £70m for Pepe on the drip than give £60m to Palace on the nail.”
Ex-Palace boss Neil Warnock replied: “That was a mistake on Arsenal that. They should’ve bought Zaha. They paid on the drip for Pepe and what did he do for Arsenal?”
TBR View:
It is safe to say that Nicolas Pepe hasn’t quite lived up to his price tag at Arsenal but would Wilfried Zaha have fared any differently?
Since Nicolas Pepe joined Arsenal, he has scored 27 goals and has provided 20 assists in 105 games in all competitions. It is important to note that the Ivorian has only started 67 of those games, which makes his 47 goal involvements a fairly decent return.
Zaha, on the other hand, has started 91 games for Palace in all competitions, has scored 24 goals and has provided seven assists.
The argument that Pepe plays for a better side is definitely valid but Zaha has played most of his games at Palace in a system that suits him. Arsenal’s possession-based style would’ve caused him the same problems as his fellow Ivorian is currently facing at the Emirates.
