Here is an article from "Gunners Town" about what career options may be available for Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko of London’s Arsenal after the current season.
Oleksandr ZinchenkoIt has been three years since Arsenal completed a double transfer from Manchester City, signing Oleksandr Zinchenko for £30 million and Gabriel Jesus for £45 million. Both players made an initial contribution to improving the quality of the Gunners’ squad, with Jesus scoring for fun in the early weeks and becoming a breath of fresh air in the central forward position. As for Zinchenko, he became an important cog in the inverted left-back role, constantly moving into midfield and adding much-needed quality in ball possession.
However, after a promising start to life in North London, Jesus has been plagued by constant injuries and will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament he sustained in January.
Nevertheless, Arsenal may be inclined to give Jesus another year to prove himself and return to his best form—after all, before suffering his last injury, he scored six goals in seven matches. But Zinchenko might not have the same luxury afforded to him by the Gunners. While Jesus’s contract with Arsenal expires in 2027, Zinchenko’s agreement only runs until the summer of 2026, and there has been very little movement regarding a new deal.
Zinchenko has mastered the inverted full-back role under Arteta, but then his defensive shortcomings were exposed. Opponents began to realize that with Zinchenko positioned in midfield, there was plenty of room to maneuver and develop attacks on Arsenal’s left defensive flank. And even when Zinchenko stayed in his base position, he became a burden for Arsenal’s defense.
Opposing teams understood that Zinchenko was a weak link in the Gunners' defense and started to exploit this time and again in their attacks. The Ukrainian seemed too careless and unable to react in time, often overcommitting and allowing opponents to bypass him. There were instances when he made risky backward passes and lost the ball in his own third.
Although he has spent most of his career in the Premier League as a left-back, Zinchenko’s preferred position is undoubtedly in central midfield. It is here, in midfield, that Zinchenko has all the attributes to drive forward, able to find his teammates in dangerous areas with his head up. Much like former Newcastle midfielder Diego Gavilan, Zinchenko possesses the ability to move in tight spaces and make dangerous passes.
Whenever he plays in midfield, including for the Ukrainian national team, he looks much more comfortable and confident. We saw this on March 12 when he opened the scoring in Arsenal's second leg against PSV in the Champions League and just recently when he provided an assist in Ukraine's first match against Belgium (3:1) in the Nations League playoffs. It is this versatility that could well allow him to spend another season in the capital.
Arsenal is still well-stocked at left-back with Riccardo Calafiori, Jurriën Timber, and Myles Lewis-Skelly. The question arises—can Arteta decide to shift Zinchenko into a central role in midfield and rethink his role in the team's play?
Zinchenko is not just a creative spark in midfield, possessing the technical grace and range to break lines with passes, picking out teammates with dangerous through-balls and testing the goalkeeper with splendid free-kicks. He is also an inspiration for his country, which has been under Russian invasion for the past four years. He is a role model for many young Ukrainian players, such as Heorhii Sudakov, Volodymyr Brazhko, and Artem Smolikov, who understand that they too can one day play in the Champions League and Premier League.
It remains unclear whether Arsenal will sell Zinchenko, extend his contract, or simply allow him to enter the 2025/26 season with an expiring agreement. But one thing is for sure: this footballer will certainly not be short of suitors. However, before any decision is made regarding Zinchenko’s future, he will look to lead Arsenal to their first-ever Champions League title (in the quarter-finals of the tournament, the Gunners will face Real Madrid,—editor’s note).
Zak Louie
