Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has had his name resurfacing on the transfer front once again and thus time, he is once again being linked to the club he hs always been linked to – Arsenal. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is said to be a huge fan of the former Cardiff City forward and is reportedly willing to do anything to make sure that he signs the player in the near future. A couple of summer transfer windows ago, Zaha was reportedly very close to agreeing a deal to sign for Arsenal but the deal collapsed and nothing ever materialized ever since, meaning that he has had to stay put at Selhurst Park.

The first few weeks of his career after the breakdown if the potential transfer to the Emirates Stadium were not smooth for the Ivory Coast international superstar, as the failed transfer reportedly engulfed him and almost affected his performances on the pitch for Palace. However, he quickly became aware that he had to be a professional about the situation and after getting over the incident, he returned to becoming the club’s best player as he has always been.

With Zaha nearing his thirties, it is believed that he desires to move further higher in his career and wants to sign for a bigger club than Crystal Palace and with Arsenal said to be returning with a bid for the stylish attacker, Mikel Arteta may well be able to get his man this time around.

Several reports have claimed that Chelsea are also in the running for his signature but while he also wouldn’t mind joining the Blues, his preference is Arsenal as he has always favored a move to the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are reportedly going to look into the transfer market starting from January to see if they can make some additions to their squad and Zaha us said to be part of their targets. Whether or not he will leave Palace remains unknown.

Michael Essien began his national team careerwith Ghana at the u-17 level as part of the team that represented the Gold Coast nation at the 1999 edition of the FIFA Men’s u-17 World Cup in New Zealand. Essien and his Ghanaian teammates finished third at the end of the tournament. He was one of the youngest players when he played for the u-20 team at the 2001 FIFA Men’s u-20 World Cup in Argentina. His performances in Argentina attracted a lot of attention and the midfielder was earmarked for a big future. Ghana finished second behind hosts Argentina at the end of the tournament.

Essien made his competitive debut for the Ghanaian senior team during the game with Morocco at the 2002 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament. His first competitive game for the Black Stars of Ghana took place on January 21, 2002. He had earlier made his debut in a pre-tournament friendly against the Pharaohs of Egypt on January 4, 2002.

Michael Essien tasted the FIFA World Cup tournament for the first time as part of the 23-man Ghana squad to the 2006 edition in Germany. He was part of a strong midfield trio alongside skipper Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari. Ghana lost 2-0 to eventual winners Italy, beat Czech Republic 2-0 and then saw off the United States of America via a 2-1 scoreline to emerge as the only African team in the round of 16. Michael Essien was however suspended for the round of 16 clash with Brazil. He could only watch as Ghana exited the tournament with a 3-0 defeat to the Brazilians.

Ghanaian midfielder Essien went on to represent his country in reversal major tournaments before he called time on his international career a couple of years ago. He scored nine goals in 59 games for the Ghanaian senior team.