‘Played a big part’: Arsenal legend says Gunners are ‘not the same team’ without £32m star

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After Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 on Tuesday night, pundit Kevin Campbell has claimed his former side are not the same team without Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Gunners legend complimented the £32 million (Sky Sports) man, who has been getting a lot of stick due to his recent performances.

As Oleksandr Zinchenko put in a much better display against Chelsea, pundit Kevin Campbell sang his praises.

Pundit Kevin Campbell raves about Oleksandr Zinchenko as Arsenal beat Chelsea

The former Manchester City left-back has been lauded throughout the season for his incredible impact on the side in terms of controlling games since his arrival.

However, defensive mistakes and what are perceived as poor attempts at showing leadership, such as his attempt at kickstarting a huddle after Southampton scored have come under criticism.

But as Arsenal returned to winning ways against Chelsea, pundit Kevin Campbell complimented Oleksandr Zinchenko.

“The first half, I thought Arsenal were sensational and Zinchenko played a big part in that but we’re not the same if he doesn’t play, we’re not”, he said on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel.

“Kieran Tierney is a very good left-back don’t get me wrong, but the way Arsenal play and the way Arsenal build, Zinchenko plays a very important role going into the midfield and creating an overload.”

HITC View: Arteta’s system would falter without Zinchenko

Based on individual quality, there are superior players in this Gunners side to the Ukrainian international such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard primarily.

However, as was on show against Chelsea, as pundit Kevin Campbell pinpointed, Oleksandr Zinchenko has a huge impact on how Arsenal sustain possession and progress the ball.

Kieran Tierney simply cannot thrive as an inverted left-back, which is why he has found getting regular starts a challenge this season.

Simply put, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s actual influence on the well-oiled machine that Mikel Arteta has build is right up there, importance wise.