Arsenal told to sign star who is 'exactly what they need' by Petit

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 7 Jun 2021 11:19 BST

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has urged his former club to do all they can to sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace this summer.

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Zaha remains one of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League and can be unplayable on his day, but he has spent another season in the lower-to-mid echelons of the division with Crystal Palace.

Though his first big move to Manchester United didn't work out in 2013, there is a feeling that the 28-year-old has outgrown Palace and is ready for another move to a bigger team in England.

In the 2020/21 season he started 29 matches and scored 11 goals while recording two assists.

Arsenal are believed to be leading the race for his signature, and Petit wants them to get the deal done.

"When I played for Arsenal in the late 90s, we had Marc Overmars, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires – these players were so exciting to watch," the Frenchman said when speaking to Paddy Power.

"Zaha is an unpredictable player, you don’t know what he’s going to do with the ball.

"He’s got a strong character, and sometimes he needs to control of his emotions, but he’s exactly the kind of player Arsenal need. He’d get the fans excited and stimulate his own team-mates too."

Petit believes Zaha's ability to beat a man makes him invaluable.

"For ages, Arsenal haven’t had a player who could dribble or make a difference with the ball at his feet," he continued.

"With Zaha, they would have somebody capable of taking responsibility and not scared to take on defenders."

Another target gone for Arsenal

Arsenal were previously in the market for another winger in Norwich City's Emiliano Buendia, who was the Player of the Season this past campaign in the Championship as he helped the Canaries to promotion.

Despite allegedly making a bid for the Argentine, they have been gazumped to the deal by Aston Villa, who announced his signing on Tuesday.

Villa will pay around £33m for Buendia.