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Arsenal want to pip Tottenham for Alexis replacement

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace celebrates scoring his sides second goal with Andros Townsend of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and West Ham United at Selhurst Park on October 28, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace celebrates scoring his sides second goal with Andros Townsend of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and West Ham United at Selhurst Park on October 28, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal want to beat Spurs to Wilfried Zaha

The higher-ups at Arsenal are still harboring hope for keeping Alexis Sanchez in North London for the long haul. That doesn’t mean they aren’t making contingency plans though. Beating Tottenham for the services of Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha may be Arsene Wenger’s number one alternative to keeping Alexis.

Reports from England allege that Zaha and Porto winger Yacine Brahimi are currently the Gunners’ top two targets if Alexis does leave. Arsenal, of course, are bracing for the Chilean’s exit, in part, due to significant transfer interest from Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side plan to make a significant January bid but figure they will land Alexis after the season if Arsenal aren’t willing to negotiate in the winter window.

Brahimi might be the more exotic of those two options, but Zaha currently has plenty of potential in his own right. He may have flopped during his time at Manchester United, but he’s thoroughly revived his career at Crystal Palace. Zaha has proven himself to be a bona fide Premier League star during his time with the Eagles.

Acquiring Zaha to play alongside Alexandre Lacazette would give Arsenal a firm offensive foundation to build from. Those two won’t be the equal of the Alexis-Mesut Ozil partnership, but few players can rival that type of star power. The key for Arsene Wenger and company will be to build an attack force that can fire the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League.

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It’s very possible that will force Arsenal to try to replace Alexis (and possibly Ozil) with five or six attackers. Purchasing two superstars to replace them like for like will likely be too expensive for the Gunners.

Of course, Arsenal don’t have a free run at signing Zaha. The talented winger has been a top target of Mauricio Pochettino and Spurs for quite some time. Many pundits believed Tottenham would sign Zaha this past summer, but Daniel Levy could not strike a deal with Palace. It’s widely assumed that Spurs will return with an improved bid in January.

The interest from both North London rivals could give Palace a real opportunity to sell Zaha for a huge premium. Selling the attacker would be a huge risk for the club though. It’s very possible that Palace will be engaged in a relegation battle all season long. Roy Hodgson will struggle to keep the club in the Premier League with Zaha in the lineup. Doing so without the fleet-footed attacker may be beyond Hodgson’s capabilities.

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Expect Arsenal, Tottenham and several other big European clubs to sound Crystal Palace out about the availability of Wilfried Zaha in January. Time will tell whether or not the Eagles are ready to part with their prized asset.

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