Arsenal have managed to pull off the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko because of manager Mikel Arteta, who worked with the 25-year-old during their time together at Manchester City.
According to the Daily Mail, the 40-year-old coach was the selling point for the Ukrainian international, who reportedly rejected other offers to leave the Etihad Stadium over the years, with Zinchenko now on the verge of signing for Arsenal in a deal worth £30m.
The Gunners moved swiftly to sign the versatile City star after a deal to bring Lisandro Martinez to north London collapsed, with Manchester United’s interest driving up the asking price for the Ajax defender and the Red Devils subsequently paying £57m for the Argentine international.
With Zinchenko covering two more important positions for Arsenal in left-back and the left-sided central midfield position, the Gunners have played a blinder in signing the City star over Zinchenko, yet the move seemingly would not have been possible had it not been for the Arteta factor.
The Basque manager worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant shortly after his retirement from football in 2016, with Arteta playing a huge role in the development of some key players at City, such as Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and, for the purposes of our story, Zinchenko.
Hailed by Ray Parlour as a ‘fantastic signing’ for Arsenal, Zinchenko could be one of the most astute moves Arteta makes during his tenure in north London, with the versatile Premier League champion a player the Gunners needed to improve the depth of their squad in two key positions.
Arsenal have done an incredible job in signing Zinchenko
The aim for this summer for Arsenal has been to flesh out the squad with quality options, and the Gunners have done just that with Zinchenko, who is a vast improvement on both Nuno Tavares at left-back and an actual plan B for Granit Xhaka, who last season was key in the left-central midfield position.
Indeed, £30m for Zinchenko could be a steal for Arsenal, and with Arteta knowing the player well, the Ukrainian could settle well in north London with his new club, where he will likely become a regular in the upcoming season.
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