Arsenal intends to sign new players during the upcoming transfer window since fans are divided on Oleksandr Zinchenko. The 27-year-old has missed multiple games due to injury. Despite Zinchenko’s abilities, Arsenal requires players who are more dependable.
Oleksandr Zinchenko could leave Arsenal
The Gunners bought Zinchenko from Manchester City in 2022 for about £32 million. Since then, he’s been a big part of Arteta’s team and played a crucial role last season. He played 33 times as a left-back but could also move into midfield when his team had the ball. This allowed him to show off his passing and technical skills. However, it sometimes left him vulnerable when defending, and he made mistakes in a few games that led to goals.
Reporter David Ornstein has said that Arsenal might need to do something about Zinchenko’s contract after this season ends.
In a question and answer session with The Athletic, Ornstein mentioned that Arsenal might talk about giving Zinchenko a new contract during the busy transfer window.
“Defensively, they’ll be boosted by the return of Jurrien Timber and must hope that Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu shake off their injury problems,” Ornstein said.
“Because of that issue, you could see a player arriving in this part of the pitch. It will be interesting to see if they try to tie Zinchenko down to a new contract or not, as he is approaching the final two years of his terms,” he added.
“So much of this [summer business] will be contingent on exits. You could envisage the likes of Ramsdale, Tierney, Tavares, Lokonga, Smith Rowe, Nketiah etc all being looked at by suitors,” he further added.
🗣️ @David_Ornstein: “It will be interesting to see if they try to tie Zinchenko down to a new contract or not, as he is approaching the final two years of his terms.”
“So much of this [summer business] will be contingent on exits. You could envisage the likes of Ramsdale,… pic.twitter.com/xUXVR9vnep
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) March 1, 2024
Zinchenko came to Arsenal known for playing a unique left-back role, and he’s adapted to it really well under Mikel Arteta. Even though he’s not perfect, he still is very valuable. Since he joined, his experience and leadership have been really helpful for the team. His injury troubles are worrying, but it’ll be tough to find someone as good as him to replace him. There are other players who can fill his spot sometimes, but Zinchenko is super important for the team. Giving him a new contract, like his teammates have got, would be a smart move to keep him around and protect his value for the team in the future.
