Roy Hodgson Says Wilfried Zaha 'Is Coming Back' Amid Arsenal Rumours

Wilfried Zaha "is coming back" to Crystal Palace despite ongoing rumours linking him with Arsenal, according to manager Roy Hodgson. The latter is also unaware of reports Zaha has put in a transfer request to leave the Eagles.

Hodgson spoke after Palace lost 1-0 away to Championship outfit Nottingham Forest in a preseason friendly on Friday, per Sky Sports:

"He has not spoken to me. I don't know if he's spoken to the club (asking to leave). As far as I'm concerned, he is coming back, he is our player and I've been given no information that the club is interested in selling him at the moment. I'm just expecting him back, looking forward to working with him and seeing some of the things he can do for us."

Zaha is on holiday after appearing for Ivory Coast at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. 

On July 17, Hodgson talked about the Gunners making a bid but revealed it wasn't "anywhere near our valuation," per Adam Goodwin of Sky Sports. Arsenal were credited with making a £40 million earlier in the month.

Palace value the gifted forward at twice what was offered, but Zaha is reportedly still set on moving to north London:

Zaha's motivation has been explained by Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

Arsenal's desire for a player of Zaha's skills makes sense. He would offer the pace and trickery Unai Emery's squad lacked in wide areas last season.

Emery was too often forced to rely on his full-backs for width, while natural central players such as Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan toiled further forward on the flanks.

Zaha offers the ability to go past defenders and provide more consistent supply for prolific strike partnership Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang:

Zaha's ability to impact games bore fruit for Palace last season, with the 27-year-old scoring 10 goals and assisting five more in Premier League action. It's little wonder Palace rate him so highly, even though Hodgson isn't short of options for the wings in the form of Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp.

Yet for all his productivity, Zaha still needs to prove himself at the highest level after a brief and ill-fated spell with Manchester United. Zaha joined the Red Devils from Palace in 2013 but was loaned out three times and returned to Selhurst Park just over two years later.

While his performances have generally been exceptional since leaving Manchester, doubts persist about Zaha's ability to be consistent.

Arsenal have been joined by Everton in showing interest, per Simon Collings of the London Evening Standard.

The Toffees may even ultimately have a clear run at Zaha if the Gunners choose to set their sights elsewhere. Arsenal, Liverpool and Inter Milan have made moves for Lille's Nicolas Pepe, according to L'Equipe (h/t Metro).

Pepe is another dynamic wide forward who would suit the proactive pressing game Emery wants.

Arsenal have also been credited with being close to a deal for Gremio's Everton Soares, per Marca's Jorge Garcia Natural (h/t MailOnline's Jordan Seward).

As talented as Pepe and Everton are, a Premier League-tested star like Zaha would be a huge asset for Arsenal. His ability to create and score goals would help Emery form an attacking trio defences would fear, and the Gunners would be more effective defending from the front and striking on the counter.