Arteta - about Zinchenko's debut for Arsenal: “Already from the first match, it was clear that he understands the essence of our

London Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta commented on the debut of Ukrainian legionnaire Alexander Zinchenko in his team. Recall that the footballer played for the Gunners for the first time today in a friendly match with London Chelsea (4:0), having played the first half.

“Zinchenko desperately wanted to play today, and I knew it. Yes, he spent only 45 minutes on the field, but even by this amount of playing time it was immediately clear that he was comfortable in our team. And he understands everything I want from him, he understands the essence of our game. So, I think Zinchenko played well today.

In general, I am very happy that we made such a transfer. This is the position we wanted to strengthen (In the match with Chelsea, Zinchenko played as a left-back, - ed.), as well as a football player whom I know very well. I know what he can give to the team and the club. Zinchenko has qualities and versatility that we lacked.

His main position is left back. However, the scheme that we use allows a footballer playing in this role to operate in a much larger space. And this is the most important skill of Alex,” Arteta said after the match against Chelsea.