• The Championship

Holloway slams Zaha Arsenal link

ESPN staff
December 7, 2012
Wilfried Zaha is turning heads for Crystal Palace © Getty Images
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Ian Holloway has once again hit out at reports linking Wilfried Zaha with Arsenal.

Zaha is one of the hottest properties outside of the Premier League and has raised his profile with some sizzling displays for Crystal Palace.

Arsenal are just one of the sides being linked with the forward, but the speculation was ramped up this week when sources claimed the Gunners felt confident about landing Zaha in January.

Holloway has insisted there is no chance of the player leaving in January and moved to turn the tables by speculating on Arsenal pair Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott.

"I am going to treat that with the contempt it deserves," Holloway said. "He is our player and has a four-and-a-half-year contract so don't speculate on speculation.

"I'm not going to answer a question 'if'. Really, if is the biggest word in the dictionary, isn't it?

"Because it's got an unended meaning. What if? What if you were a lady called Jane? Would you still ask me that question? What if I was your auntie not your uncle? It's all nonsense.

"Just because Arsenal might have said a week ago that they might like him, which I felt was unprofessional, it leads to all this.

"It would take a lot more than one player going to derail this, but no-one is going."

Putting the focus on Arsenal, Holloway said: "I like Oxlade-Chamberlain, he might help our promotion push. I like Walcott, he is out of contract in the summer, so why don't we go get him? Would you start the speculation about that? I don't think so, so you are wasting your time asking me [about Zaha]."

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