In Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arsenal have signed another reigning Premier League champion – and the kind of player Mikel Arteta likes.
By two points Arsenal FC missed out on Champions League qualification last season; and yet the Gunners have managed to sign two players who have been regulars for the handle pot of late.
Like attacker Gabriel Jesus (25), left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko (25) also joins last year’s fifth-placed Arsenal from reigning champions Manchester City. The 52-time Ukrainian international, who was still tied until 2024 and therefore reportedly cost around 35 million euros in transfer fees, will receive a four-year contract.
Once again, Mikel Arteta, the former assistant to Pep Guardiola and current Arsenal coach, has successfully lured a protégé away from his long-time employer. “We are very happy,” the Spaniard says of the signing of Zinchenko, adding: “He is a player I know personally very well and whose development I have also followed after my time at Manchester City. Alex is a quality player who will make us more variable – it’s not just about positions, but also versatility in attack and defence. “
Zinchenko not only knows his way around left back
Six years after signing from Russian club FK Ufa, Zinchenko leaves City with four league and league cup titles and an FA Cup triumph to his name.
With the strong left-footed player, Arteta gets a player he appreciates: Zinchenko is extremely versatile, can not only play at left back, where Guardiola usually deployed him, but also further forward or centrally in midfield, as he is used to in the national team. At Arsenal, who came away empty-handed in the race for Lisandro Martinez (24, from Ajax to Manchester United), Kieran Tierney (25) was most recently the number one left-back, but in 2021/22 he was repeatedly injured.
Arsenal’s fifth new signing – Is ManCity serious about Cucurella?
Zinchenko, who is still goalless after 76 Premier and 29 Champions League appearances, is the fifth new signing for the Gunners this summer after Gabriel Jesus, midfielder Fabio Vieira (22, FC Porto), talented striker Marquinhos (19, Sao Paulo) and goalkeeper Matt Turner (28, New England Revolution).
And what are ManCity’s plans after his departure? The defending champions have been sounding out the market for a new left-back for some time. Among others, the name Marc Cucurella (23), who signed a five-year contract at Brighton only a year ago and has had a remarkable debut season in the Premier League, keeps coming up. The Spaniard would get no obstacles in the way of a corresponding sum.
