Arsenal are in talks with Manchester City over a potential deal to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko. The club had prioritised a move for Lisandro Martinez but Manchester United’s presence in the move inflated the price far beyond what the Gunners were willing to pay.
The Athletic have reported that since missing out on the Argentine, Zinchenko has become the primary target and Manchester City would be willing to sell if their valuation is met. The figure is likely to be well in excess of £25million, however. Arsenal offered Ajax £25million as an opening offer for Lisandro Martinez that rose well above £30million and so are willing to spend a sizeable amount for the position.
Both Zinchenko and Martinez are very versatile players but certainly in different ways. The Argentine is a player who offers more at left centre-half with the ability to play at left-back and defensive midfield to a good level.
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Whereas Zinchenko began life at Shakhtar Donetsk as an attacking midfielder. He was signed by Manchester City for his talent in this role but eventually, it became clear to get into Pep Guardiola’s team he would need to adapt.
Eventually, his left-footedness saw the Spanish manager use him to help cover in a severely under-strength left-back position. Benjamin Mendy suffered a severe knee injury and Fabian Delph was the unorthodox cover, to begin with, but also faced fitness questions.
Zinchenko came in for Guardiola and never looked back. He has continued to feature in the central part of the Ukraine midfield on an international level.
He played one game in midfield for City which happened to be in an impressive 2-1 victory over PSG in the Champions League. He played progressively with three passes into the box, two shots and 100% dribble success.
Yet, he managed to win all three of his defensive duels, making an interception and two recoveries. Mikel Arteta has been on the lookout for a player who can offer more strength in depth to the midfield too.
Another player too with Premier League experience and a good age at 25. Whilst Martinez might be the higher rated, the risk factor associated with a move for Zinchenko would surely be lower when considering his 128 appearances for Manchester City.
Not to mention that he has captained his country and won a haul of major honours for one of the current giants of the game. He would be a smart and impressive piece of business for Arsenal and fingers should be crossed that the Gunners can get this one over the line.
He can solve the two key problems of a lack of progressive depth in the Arsenal midfield whilst also giving strong Premier League quality competition and cover to the persistently injury-prone Kieran Tierney. It is a smart move but could still be a pricey one.
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