Arsenal had a particularly productive recent summer transfer window in regards to the number of players they managed to bring in and move out of the north London club.
One incoming signing that has certainly been a bright spark for the Gunners so far this season is Gabriel Jesus.
Signed from Manchester City in a deal worth £45m, the Brazilian has hit the ground running in Mikel Arteta’s side by scoring three goals and providing three assists in six league appearances.
Despite this undoubted masterstroke from Edu to get the former City star to the Emirates, Arsenal’s technical director could’ve potentially topped this deal by securing a late summer transfer move for another Premier League star that was linked with a move to north London – Wilfried Zaha.
With 435 senior appearances for Crystal Palace under his belt, the winger has scored 87 goals and provided 73 assists along the way.
The Ivory Coast international has started this latest season in hot form by scoring four goals in five games, leaving only four players with more goals than him.
To compare his current season with Jesus’, the 29-year-old has seen 50% of his shots at goal be on target, whereas only 35% of the Arsenal strikers have been.
Also, Zaha has a higher pass success percentage than the new Gunners attacker (78.9% vs 77.8%) as well as more successful pressures (29 vs 23) in addition to failing to control the ball on fewer occasions and not being dispossessed as often as Jesus.
Described by Neil Warnock as a player that has “electric” feet, Zaha certainly has the talent and experience to have been a stunning late summer signing for Arsenal.
Taking all of this into account, especially with the likes of Nicolas Pepe and Ainsley Maitland-Niles making moves away from the Emirates during the summer, sealing a deal for the Palace star should’ve been a top priority for the club during that period.
