27 March 2023 , 01:00
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Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha was desperate to join Arsenal in 2019, but the Ivorian could become Mauricio Pochettino's first Spurs signing if the manager returns to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pochettino left Spurs in 2019, but has been linked with a return to North London with Antonio Conte's time finally up. The Argentine is understood to be open to a second stint, though he could yet take on a job in a different top European league.
Zaha is out of contract at Selhurst Park at the end of the current campaign. While there have been reports of big-money offers from Saudi Arabia, a move to Spurs could allow him to show Arsenal what they missed when coming close to a move four years ago.
“I know Wilf was very close to Patrick [Vieira]," Spurs' former head of elite identification and player development David Webb told The Sun. Before working with Pochettino in North London, Webb discovered a young Zaha as the Ivorian international joined Palace's ranks while still at school.
With the Eagles dismissing manager Vieira, Webb believes their top scorer may be open to a move, with Spurs a potential direction if Pochettino does indeed move back. “If he was thinking of going then it’s probably pushed him a little bit further towards that," he added.
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“He’s really settled from what I know, with all his family around the Croydon, Beckenham, Bromley area so if he was trying something new, ideally it would be another London club. I know he’s had good offers from abroad like Saudi Arabia but I think his ideal one would be to test himself in the Premier League at a higher club.
“I know Poch was a big fan of his. I still think he’s attractive for a couple of years because he’s still got great attributes for the Premier League.”
Where will Zaha move next? Have your say in the comments section
Wilfried Zaha was once close to an Arsenal move (AFP via Getty Images)Zaha has been linked with Spurs before, while Arsenal were in the mix in 2019. The Gunners instead moved for Nicolas Pepe, who joined in a club record move, but Zaha explained how close he was to moving north of the river.
"I had a conversation with the manager [Unai Emery], actually," Zaha told Jamie Carragher on The Greatest Games podcast. "He was just like, ‘we don’t need to go through much’.
"He’s seen me play, he knows I can change games at any time and stuff like that. It was like, ‘yeah, we’d love to have you’. And I was just like, ‘I’d love to come’.
"The conversation was rather straightforward because I’ve played against him when he’s managed Arsenal, he’s seen what I can do, he’s seen my work rate, what I can add to the team. Obviously, it was up to the club who they chose, and obviously they chose Pepe over me."
"I just think if there’s a player who plays in the Premier League who you see week in, week out, and you know what he does… I feel like it’s a no-brainer."