Arsenal have announced a deal for Oleksandr Zinchenko after the player and his wife left moving tributes to his time at Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta has secured his second City player of the summer after Gabriel Jesus, with the Gunners paying an initial £30m for the versatile Ukranian with another £2m that is easily expected to be hit in performance-related payments. City have made a massive profit on a player they signed for just £1.4m back in 2016, who went on to contribute to four Premier League titles and become one of the most popular members of the squad among the fanbase.
Zinchenko's bond with supporters grew even stronger over the course of the last season, with the player overwhelmed by the support he received in light of Russia invading his home country before the defender remarkably kept his feelings in order to play an instrumental role in their final-day comeback against Aston Villa. The tears flowed that day as he draped a Ukraine flag around the Premier League trophy in front of thousands at the Etihad and millions more around the world.
ALSO READ: Man City are the star attraction in Texas as Blues show they are changing opinions in the US
Arsenal's new signing posted a two-minute compilation video of his time in Manchester that thanked City fans for helping him through the most difficult period of his life, while his wife Vlada — a sports broadcast journalist who has regularly been clocked in the away end at matches supporting Zinchenko — also paid tribute to the journey they have been on together at the club. She insisted that their family are not saying goodbye to City as she signed off that Manchester will forever be blue for her.
"The first time that I wore a City t-shirt was back in 2019. Back then my future husband was already a part of the Manchester family," she wrote. "But I had to prove my spot on the stands.
"In Manchester we learned to lift trophies, smile through rainy weather, take a kick and be adults. In City t-shirts we created our family and here our daughter made her first steps. We met good friends, trustworthy partners and people who we look up to.
"We are turning this page of our football life but we are not saying goodbye. As a journalist I will be watching the phenomenon that is Manchester City with even more interest. Now I will be able to look at it in a slightly different way. Thanks for everything, Man City. Manchester will forever be blue to me."
READ MORE:
