What is not in the off-season, Manchester City defender/midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko is being persistently "sent" to other clubs by various media and many insiders.
Alexander ZinchenkoRemember, at least, the most recent winter transfer window, when the Ukrainian was strongly wooed by Newcastle and Genoa, but as a result he still stayed in Manchester and contributed to City's victory in the Premier League.
And even earlier there was information about the possible transfer of "Zina" to "Wolverhampton", "Napoli", "Betis"... And in all these and other cases, Oleksandr remained in his team.
The current offseason was not an exception or a revelation in this regard. The hypothetical departure of Alexander from the Etihad began to be talked about even before the end of the last English championship. Among the potential "buyers" of the Ukrainian football player, "Barcelona" was most often mentioned. But then the "interest" of the Catalans either died out, or it was not there at all.
Instead, offers from other English clubs loomed on the horizon. And this time it can be argued that their interest in the Ukrainian is substantive. In any case, in the transfer priorities of "West Ham", "Everton", "Chelsea" and "Arsenal", the name of our hero slips up time and time again.
The most persistent, judging by the British press, are the "gunners". The head coach of Londoners Arteta is not at all familiar with Zinchenko, because at one time he worked in Guardiola's coaching staff. And he not only worked, but also worked a lot individually with the Ukrainian. Arteta, when he was the coach of "City", and now, at the head of "Arsenal", does not hide his affection for Zinchenko. The Spaniard in our football player is first of all universalism. And there is such a rare trait for our latitudes as optimism and a positive outlook on things.
Back in the first year of Sashka's stay at City, Guardiola, among other things, said the following about the Ukrainian: they say he is very versatile and hard-working, but the most important thing is that he always smiles when he works in training. He doesn't grumble, he doesn't argue, he doesn't demand - he just works. And it works very well.
And for four years of persistent and hard work, Zinchenko has become a true universal soldier for Man City and Guardiola, capable of playing in many positions. Arteta not only understands this perfectly, but also, as mentioned above, saw it with his own eyes. That is why he wants to get a guy for his team.
Apparently, in the near future, "Arsenal" can officially start negotiations with the "townsmen" on the grounds of Zinchenko's transfer. At least, in the Misty Albion, this is the scenario that both the media and analysts believe. The Gunners need a main left-wing defender for the new season, and Zinchenko's candidacy seems quite promising to them. Although if we talk about the scale of priorities, then at first the London club was seriously interested in the Ajax defender Martinez. But, as it turned out, the hat is not for Senka. The Amsterdammers put a frightening price tag on Lisandro (about 55 million euros), and the Argentine himself wants to join Manchester United. And almost moved to Old Trafford. Therefore, "Arsenal" switched to Zinchenko.
And what does "City" think about this? There is very conflicting information on this account. At the beginning of this month, the British tabloids reported in unison that the reigning champions of England have no intention of selling Zinchenko. But just a week later, it was reported that Man City could let Oleksandr go if they received a good offer. "Good" is about £35m if the press is to be believed. Allegedly, a replacement for Saška has already been found in City - the Spaniard Cukurella from Brighton.
Although, according to the latest information, Zinchenko was on the list of players with whom Guardiola should go to the USA for exhibition matches. So either the "townsmen" really do not want to let go of their station wagon, or the offer of the same "Arsenal" has not yet come.
But in this case, in my opinion, it should be understood that now time is working exclusively for the 25-year-old fullback, and not for his current or possibly new club.
The fact is that the Ukrainian's contract with Manchester City is valid for two more years - until the summer of 2024. And to get rid of it "just like that", because of someone's whims, will not be possible at all. Here it is very important that there is a desire to go to Alexander. And this desire, as far as I understand, he does not have now.
Yes, sometimes it is said that he does not feel very comfortable in the position of the left defender, because according to his profile characteristics, "Zina" is a player of a different formation - the center of the field. But the fact is that Guardiola does not have a clear gradation of playing roles: if you are a defender, you must take part not only in pressing and selection, but also join attacks, disperse them. What Sashko does well.
In addition, he demonstrated not only excellent "survivability", the ability to adapt to new conditions, but also, perhaps most importantly, he manages to surpass the quality of his direct competitors.
In particular, if we talk about last season, we are talking about Cancela. From the point of view of technique, the Ukrainian can hardly compete with the Portuguese. But in terms of universality and quality (selections, transfers), Sasha is better in these components.
His only real problem at City is playing time. Despite the compliments from Guardiola, Zinchenko does not boast the playing time of De Bruyne. Last season, the Ukrainian had 15 matches. Given his potential, it's safe to say that it's "only" 15 matches. And if Sashko wants to spend more time on the football field, then the idea of a transfer may creep in.
But the fact is that even in "Arsenal" he is unlikely to be promised a game without a substitute in all matches of the season. In addition, as is known, Arteta wants to see a defender in his team, and not the midfielder Zinchenko.
And, in fact, in fact, all English clubs, which to one degree or another show interest in the Ukrainian player, want to engage him precisely as a left-wing defensive player.
And if so, I'm sure, you just don't need to look for good from good. Zinchenko plays in one of the strongest and richest teams in the world, in one of the strongest coaches of the era, and every season he really fights for the title both in the Premier League and in the Champions League. He is already used to the workload, the demands, and the ever-changing competitive environment. He grew in it. It took root. He just belongs there. If you belong in a champion's squad, why spoil it all with sudden movements?
It is not necessary to seek good from good.
Valery Vasylenko
