Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal signed the perfect player for his side in Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer. The left-back followed Gabriel Jesus out of Manchester City with his transfer.
Arsenal raided the Etihad Stadium twice in 19 days by securing a £45m deal for Jesus and a £32m move for Zinchenko in July. The pair penned five and four-year contracts at Emirates Stadium respectively. While both also immediately emerged as Arteta’s top-choice players.
Zinchenko ousted Kieran Tierney to play at left-back straight away upon his arrival in north London. The 26-year-old has since gone on to start in 11 of his 12 Premier League matches from 12 possible games. Arteta has been without the Ukraine defender due to a calf injury.
Arsenal fans quickly saw what Zinchenko would offer Arteta’s squad after assisting Gabriel Martinelli at Crystal Palace on the opening day of the season. It has so far proven to be his only assist in Gunners colours. The 52-cap technician is also yet to net a goal for the club.
But it is clear how much stronger Arsenal are on their left-hand channel with Zinchenko in Arteta’s line-up. He perfectly suits the Spaniard’s desires for an inverted full-back, cutting inside and joining the midfield. Zinchenko has great influence when he can get on the ball.
Arteta believes Arsenal signed him the perfect player with Zinchenko’s transfer
Arteta has now praised what Zinchenko brings at Arsenal and explained why the £150k-a-week star’s transfer was perfect for them. The Spaniard also voiced the defender’s desire to achieve great things in north London after a trophy-laden six year spell at Manchester City.
“He is a player who gives us everything that we want in that position,” Arteta declared, via quotes by football.london. “He gives us versatility and he gets a lot of attention, as well, and fills other spaces that, for us, is very important.
“I will especially highlight his mentality and what he brought. He has a real desire to make something special with this team and [the] experience that he has had in the past is very helpful to do that.”
Zinchenko joined Manchester City from UFA in 2016 but spent his first season out on loan to PSV Eindhoven. But during the five years he spent at the Etihad, the full-back helped the Citizens win four Premier League titles along with four EFL Cup crowns and an FA Cup title.
Pep Guardiola afforded Zinchenko 128 appearances across all competitions at Manchester City, as well. Yet the Citizens also seldom saw the defender influence the scoring there. He penned just two goals and 12 assists with single-season highs of five in 2018/19 and 21/22.
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