Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has told Wilfried Zaha he must keep his performance levels high if he wants to secure a big move.
Zaha handed in a transfer request over the summer after attracting the interest of Arsenal and Everton.
The Gunners were unable to land the attacker after offering just £40m, which was way below Palace’s valuation.
Palace meet their North London rivals in a Premier League clash this Sunday at the Emirates.
Hodgson says Zaha, who has yet to score this season, must not let the transfer saga affect his displays for the Eagles.
He told reporters: “I think he needs to make certain that he does his very best and shows off his talent every time he plays, because there are lots of teams out there wanting good players.
“And if he wants to attract one of those clubs, he has to perform at the highest level.
“I don’t think the fact it is Arsenal will change his performance enormously, I would hope not, because I would hope he does that against all teams we play against.”
Hodgson revealed Zaha was always unlikely to join Arsenal, who instead opted to buy Nicolas Pepe from Lille for £72m.
“It was not very close at all, as far as I know,” he said. “I believe that the money that was offered, which was widely reported, was reasonably accurate, and of course that was way below our valuation.
“Time passed, so maybe their situation changed. Maybe when they made the offer for Wilf their situation was X, and then possibly things happened during a period of time and their situation changed and maybe more money became available.
“I can’t speak for Arsenal, for their intentions. If you really wanted to know how serious, how anxious they were to sign one of our players, they will have to answer the question.”
Keeper Vicente Guaita and defender Martin Kelly are both fit again and available for the trip to the Gunners. Connor Wickham and Mamadou Sakho are still out.