New £32 million signing Oleksandr Zinchenko admits he could have joined Premier League giants Arsenal far earlier in his career when Arsene Wenger was still in charge at the Emirates Stadium, speaking to Vladi Sedan’s YouTube channel.
The Gunners have a bit of a track record when it comes to signing talented players struggling for regular starts at one of the continent’s biggest clubs.
And the hope will be that Zinchenko, after arriving from Manchester City in July, can follow in the footsteps of Alexis Sanchez, Petr Cech and Martin Odegaard, having been reunited with his former Etihad Stadium coach Mikel Arteta in North London.
But if things had worked out differently, the Ukraine international might have arrived at Arsenal all the way back in 2014. A then-teenage Zinchenko started as Shakhtar Donetsk lost 3-1 to the Gunners during a UEFA Youth League clash eight years ago.
Arsenal finally sign Oleksandr Zinchenko
“Shakhtar played in the UEFA Youth League on the road against Arsenal,” Zinchenko recalls. “We lost 3-1. Hector Bellerin and I remembered this moment because he also played in this match.”
As did Serge Gnabry, Glen Kamara and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with Alex Iwobi on the bench.
“I knew about Wenger’s interest,” Zinchenko adds. “I spoke with Sandor (Varga, his agent). It wasn’t right after that game, it was months later.
“I told Sandor: ‘Of course, I give the green light (to Arsenal)’. He said that it would be great, because I dreamt of playing for this team. I don’t know why it didn’t work out, but it never got to the specifics.”
A midfielder or a full-back… or both?
Now 25, Zinchenko finally arrives at Arsenal with four Premier League winners’ medals under his belt. Some have suggested that the former PSV loanee could be utilised in a central midfield role rather than wide on the left, though Zinchenko insists that the decision is Arteta’s to make.
“No one promised anything to anyone,” he explains. “Everything depends on me; How I work, show myself in training, in matches. If I deserve to play, then I will play. If I don’t deserve it, I won’t.
“The key position he chose for me is left full-back. But there may be games where I will be involved as a central midfielder. I can’t say anything yet.
“The season will be very long. We compete in four tournaments; Two cups, the Premier League and the Europa League. Therefore, there will be a lot of matches, and I still don’t know where the head coach will see me.”
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