Arsenal have been warned off of making a move for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha by club legend Emmanuel Petit.
The Gunners previously made a £40million bid for the Ivory Coast international in 2019 before opting to spend a club-record £72million on Nicolas Pepe instead. And amid fresh reports linking the player with a move to the Emirates, Petit has told the club who the "perfect" alternative to Zaha would be.
It comes as Premier League referee Mike Dean has made two admissions about taking charge of Arsenal games ahead of his retirement at the end of the season. And Wayne Rooney has opened up on his failed attempt to bring Emile Smith Rowe on loan to Derby County shortly after taking the reigns at Pride Park.
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Rooney's failed transfer
Wayne Rooney has admitted that he tried, and failed, to bring Emile Smith Rowe on loan to Derby County ahead of the midfielder's breakthrough season at Arsenal.
Smith Rowe has become one of Mikel Arteta's most potent attacking weapons on his way to breaking into the England set-up following a highly successful loan spell at Championship side Huddersfield in 2020. And Rooney has admitted he was so impressed with Smith Rowe's time at the John Smith's Stadium that he tried to sign him for Derby.
But Rooney admitted he "didn't get close" to signing Smith Rowe, as Arteta had also been impressed with his loan spell in the Championship.
Mike Dean's Arsenal admission
Mike Dean has said he always found it tough refereeing Arsenal when Arsene Wenger was manager of the club.
The Premier League referee will call time on his 22-year refereeing career at the end of the season, when he is expected to take up a full-time position working on VAR. And ahead of his retirement from refereeing, Dean has spoken about his illustrious career in the Premier League – and identified Wenger as one of the most difficult managers to deal with.
But despite the difficulties he faced with their manager, Dean also admitted the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira were some of the best players he ever had the pleasure of refereeing.
Arsenal sent Zaha warning
Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit believes the club do not need to sign Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha as they already have the "perfect" alternative in their squad.
Zaha has been linked with a move to the Emirates several times throughout his career and with his contract set to expire at the end of next season he could be on the move this summer. But Petit thinks a move for the Ivory Coast international could hamper the development of Gabriel Martinelli as he warned his former club off of making a move for Zaha.
