Wilfried Zaha on the radars of Chelsea as Crystal Palace exit beckons. (Image: GETTY Images)
As per Football.London, Chelsea and Arsenal are embroiled in a transfer race to sign Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha on a free transfer this summer.
Zaha’s contract at Selhurst Park expires at the end of this month (Transfermarkt), with no sign of an extension yet. Daily Mail reveals that Spanish giants Atletico Madrid are interested in signing the 30-year-old as well.
Arsenal are looking to sign the Ivory Coast international to potentially elongate the depth in their attacking depth going into next season where they will play Champions League football.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are in the race to sign the forward, it does not make any sense. The Blues have spent a lot to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling to shore up the left wing.
If Zaha is seen as the solution to the goal-scoring problem, the bar is very low. As good a player as the 30-year-old is, he is best suited playing on the left wing and causing havoc to opposition fullbacks. He is not a number nine or a natural goal-scorer.
So, regardless of the fact that he is available for free, Chelsea should not pursue his signature in the summer transfer window. They must have other priorities, including signing an actual number nine this time. Moreover, it is not as if Zaha is a young talent. He is 30 now and would not be wanting to play a fringe role here.
With no European football, attracting the elite strikers might be tough, but the lure of the club and manager Mauricio Pochettino might get things done with a positive future in mind.
The money should also be spent on bolstering the midfield department. Chelsea have looked weak there. Getting an able partner for Enzo Fernandez would be a good start rather than signing another non-goal-scoring forward.
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