Where does Zinchenko fit in Arteta’s plans for Arsenal?

Oleksandr Zinchenko is set to join Arsenal in the coming days on a four-year deal from reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

He will cost the North London side a fee of around £30m with his medical scheduled to take place this week, as per the Athletic.

The 25-year-old will reunite with former City teammate Gabriel Jesus whose transfer to Arsenal was announced to supporters earlier this month.

Oleksandr Zinchenko: His time at Manchester City

Zinchenko is a versatile player who will adapt his style to suit the manager’s needs and demands. Throughout his time at City, he has played primarily as a left-back, whereas when representing his national team Ukraine, he has been deployed as an attacking midfielder.

The Ukrainian has made a total of 76 appearances in the Premier League, contributing seven assists and keeping 29 clean sheets, as well as playing 29 times in the Champions League.

He played in front of three-time Golden Glove award winner Ederson and alongside the likes of solid centre-back partnership Ruben Dias and John Stones, but fell out of favour to Portuguese international Joao Cancelo in recent years.

In his more attacking role for Ukraine, he has played in 52 games, scoring eight goals and assisting four. He is a key figure for his national side and has essentially cemented his place in the side’s starting eleven for the foreseeable future.

Where does Zinchenko fit in Arteta and Arsenal’s plans?

Mikel Arteta will be all too familiar with Zinchenko’s abilities following on from his time as assistant manager at Manchester City. However, it’s unknown where the Spaniard will choose to utilise his new signing.

Arsenal have two main left-back options: Kieran Tierney and Nuno Tavares. Scottish international Tierney joined the Gunners in 2019, but has since struggled with injury issues causing him to miss a number of games.

Former Arsenal and England physio Gary Lewin claimed that the 25-year-old is still struggling to adapt to both the club’s and Premier League’s training methods, which is proven by the fact that the defender has never made more than 27 appearances in a season throughout his three years in England.

Since news broke of Zinchenko’s rumoured arrival, 22-year-old Tavares has been linked with a move away from North London, likely due to fear of falling down the pecking order in his favoured position.

Speculation broke of a potential transfer to Ligue 1 side Marseille, but it has since been reported that talks broke down and that Tavares would prefer to stay and fight for his place under Arteta.

If Arteta opted to play the Ukrainian in midfield, he is in contention with the likes of Martin Ødegaard and new signing Fabio Vieira, who completed a transfer from Portuguese side Porto.

21-year-old Emile Smith Rowe has also played in attacking midfield but spent the majority of the season, and made more goal contributions, playing on the wing.

A man of many medals:

One factor that separates Zinchenko from his future teammates is his impressive honours collection; he leaves City a four-time Premier League champion, four-time EFL Cup winner and an FA Cup winner.

He finished the 2020/2021 campaign as a Champions League runner-up after playing a vital role in the club’s progression to the final, as well as being named the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year in 2019. It’s time for Zinchenko to further develop and prove his abilities in the top division and secure his place as a starter for the Gunners.