Oleksandr Zinchenko impressed with Arsenal’s ex-Tottenham talent

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Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has heaped praise on teenage defender Reuell Walters having impressed in training.

Reuell Walters has been hailed by Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko after battling with Gunners striker Gabriel Jesus.

Speaking on FIVE, Zinchenko was asked to name a young player from the Arsenal academy who has impressed him.

Zinchenko went for Walters, suggesting that he likes the defender ’so much’.

Zinchenko praised Walters as ‘aggressive’ and told of how he bumped Gabriel Jesus off the ball in training once.

The Ukrainian added that Walters then showed composure on the ball after dominating Jesus, leaving Zinchenko wowed.

Walters, 18, can play as a centre back or right back and Zinchenko is seemingly backing him for a big future at Arsenal.

“I like so much centre-back Reuell,” said Zinchenko. “I think the quality he has, he is aggressive. I swear to God, one he pushed Gabriel Jesus in a shoulder-to-shoulder.”

“It is not easy to push Gabriel because he is very strong, and he was confident on the ball after, he kept the ball well and passed. Wow. He impresses me I think the most,” he added.

How Tottenham Hotspur lost Arsenal talent Reuell Walters

There is excitement over Walters at Arsenal and a large part of it is because he is a player who slipped through the net at Tottenham Hotspur.

Walters was targeted by Chelsea and Tottenham as a kid, and he chose to commit to Tottenham aged just 10.

The Athletic note that Walters wasn’t happy in the Tottenham setup and he ended up snubbing the idea of a scholarship contract.

The situation turned a little ugly as Tottenham refused to let Walters leave without receiving hefty training compensation for a 14-year-old.

Walters went on trial with Manchester United but the Premier League rejected their attempts to sign him.

Walters ultimately spent 18 months out of academy football before Arsenal added him to their Under-16’s in November 2020.

The defender grew up supporting Arsenal and after a tough road to get there, he was finally wearing the famous red and white.

Now highly rated in the Arsenal setup and turning heads amid Zinchenko’s praise, Walters will have real dreams of becoming a first-team regular – and showing Spurs what they’re missing.