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On July 22, Arsenal announced the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. The Ukrainian joined for £30 million and signed a four-year deal. The signing shows more indications of Mikel Arteta's project being executed with the addition of quality players to make his Arsenal side competitive this season.
Zinchenko made an unofficial debut for his new club in the preseason friendly against Chelsea, which Arsenal won 4-0.
Zinchenko is Arsenal's fifth summer signing and joins Gabriel Jesus (his teammate at Man City), Matt Turner (who moved from New England Revolution), Marquinhos (who signed from Sao Paulo), and Fabio Vieira from Porto. This takes Arsenal's total spending to £145 million. The Gunners will hope the new acquisitions are good enough to help secure a top-four finish and win a trophy.
Like Jesus, Zinchenko is another player with massive Premier League experience. He was instrumental in Man City's dominance in recent seasons.
In Arteta, he has a manager that knows his ability and has coached him before at Man City. His contributions to Arsenal could be significant enough to make the Gunners challenge big rivals.
Zinchenko's performances have been massively under the radar. At City, his contributions were not as significant as Joao Cancelo's, but he provided a necessary balance to the club.
Notably, he was instrumental in Man City's Champions League semi-final win against Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Arsenal have got a brilliant player in him. Here are four ways he can improve the Gunners.
#1 - Zinchenko's versatility
Zinchenko played most of his Manchester City career as a left-back. But that's just one of many positions he can be deployed at.
The 25-year-old has also featured as a right winger. He plays in midfield for his national team and can also play on the left wing and in attacking midfield.
At Arsenal, his ability to play multiple positions gives Arteta various tactical approaches. It also offers Zinchenko a chance to get more starting roles for his new club compared to his final season at Man City, where he started only 10 league games. His versatility will also be vital to the north London club during a busy winter when players deal with fatigue and injuries.
#2 - Alternative to Kieran Tierney
In Zinchenko's debut against Chelsea, he started at left-back. This might be an indication of where Arteta intends to play him.
Zinchenko has played at left-back for a few seasons, and Arteta may desire to continue exploring his abilities in that position. The club's left-back Kieran Tierney is prone to injuries. He missed 16 games last season due to injuries.
His replacement, Nuno Tavares, isn't a quality backup. He was shaky in possession, a defensive liability, and susceptible to rash decisions. Zinchenko is an upgrade on the former Benfica man and may challenge Tierney for a first-team spot if the latter fails to resolve his injury problem.
#3 - Quality depth for Arsenal
Depth is one of the areas the club struggled with last season as they failed to perform when certain first-team players were absent with relatively low quality outside the first team. This ultimately cost the Gunners valuable points.
Zinchenko's ability to play in multiple positions enhances Arsenal's squad depth. His quality will improve the overall quality outside the first team.
Zinchenko can deputize for Granit Xhaka in midfield. In the Gunners' attack, he can replace Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Ødegaard.
#4 - More creativity in the squad
It's not often mentioned, but creativity is one of the best traits Zinchenko offers. Last season, he accumulated 3.4 shot-creating actions, 8.03 progressive passes, and 9.3 progressive carries per 90 minutes. These numbers are significant upgrades on Tierney, who only managed 3.5 progressive passes and 1.79 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.
Zinchenko joins Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, and Xhaka as key creative players at the club. This creativity will be essential against teams that defend deep and are tough to break down.
