@otando_ians
New Lister
The Crystal Palace winger admits that after missing out on a move to his boyhood idols he is still keen on making a fresh start
Wilfried Zaha admits that Arsenal's transfer interest last summer was “amazing”, while leaving open the possibility of leaving Crystal Palace in the near-future.
It appeared at one stage as though the Ivory Coast international would secure a dream move to Emirates Stadium, with the summer window of 2019 seeing him generate plenty of speculation.
The 27-year-old made no secret of the fact that he would welcome the opportunity to link up with the club that he supported as a boy
Arsenal were, however, unable to thrash out a deal with their Premier League rivals and ended up making Zaha’s international team-mate Nicolas Pepe their £72 million ($87m) club-record signing.
While one route out of Selhurst Park may have been closed off to Zaha, he admits that personal ambition will ensure that he remains open to tempting offers from afar.
He added: “I'm 27, trophies is what it's all about.
“If there’s an opportunity to win trophies, then 100 per cent. That's 100 per cent what I want in my career and what I'm working towards.”
Zaha is also eager to remain an important figure in the Ivory Coast set-up, having switched international allegiance in 2017 after winning two caps for England following a discussion with Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
“I feel like I wasn't given a really fair shot at the first team. I went through the age groups but then didn't really get a chance” Zaha said of his decision to shun the Three Lions.
“Then I spoke to Drogba and he explained to me what it felt like to play for the Ivory Coast.
“For one thing, it's Drogba calling you and he's explaining all these things to me. When they came to me I turned them down the first time because I wanted to play for England at the time.”
DO YOU THINK ZAHA WILL MAKE AN IMPACT ON ARSENAL'S SQUAD IN CASE HE'S SIGNED BY THE CLUB ?
