‘Arsenal’s £40m Zaha bid is a liberty’ – Ex-Palace chairman suggests Gunners ‘can’t afford’ winger


Simon Jordan has been left unimpressed by the efforts of those at Emirates Stadium to prise a top talent away from rivals at Selhurst Park
Arsenal have seen their £40 million ($51m) bid for Wilfried Zaha branded “a liberty” by former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan.

The Gunners have made a move for the Ivory Coast international after several weeks of speculation .

Zaha is said to have opened the door for a possible switch, with the 26-year-old winger eager to link up with the club he supported as a boy .

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Arsenal, though, are considered to have fallen well short of the mark required to lure a prized asset away from Selhurst Park.

There has been talk of £100m ($126m) valuations for Zaha , with Jordan hitting out at those from Emirates Stadium for trying to do another deal on the cheap.

He told talkSPORT : “This is a liberty.

“As much as a £40m transfer becomes a liberty, this is a liberty.

“You’ve got Arsenal trading on a currency of trying to create division between the player and the football club.

“If you want to buy a player like Wilfried Zaha… if [Riyad] Mahrez can go to Manchester City for £60m, then Zaha can go for £60m to £80m to Arsenal.

“If they can’t afford him, they can’t afford him.”


Arsenal have already been warned that they may not have the funds to land Zaha, with there other areas of their squad considered to be in greater need of strengthening.

Former Premier League striker Dean Saunders is another who feels the Gunners are a long way off the mark when it comes to the pursuit of a proven creative influence.

He added to talkSPORT: “How can they throw in a £40m bid when Aaron Wan-Bissaka has just gone to Manchester United for £50m as a right-back?

“Outside the top six, Zaha is probably the best player in the Premier League.


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“He’s got to be valued at miles more than that as a winger/striker/number 10, wherever he wants to play.

“He goes past people for fun and he’s played great over the last couple of years. He’s got to be worth £100m.”

Over the course of the last three seasons, Zaha has contributed 26 Premier League goals and the same number of assists to the Crystal Palace cause.