“He has everything” – Oleksandr Zinchenko leaves Rio Ferdinand stunned as he explains why Arsenal star is better than Rodri
Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko surprised Rio Ferdinand after claiming that Thomas Partey is a better player than Manchester City's Rodri.
Rodri has established himself as arguably the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League since joining Manchester City four years ago. The 27-year-old has become an integral component of Pep Guardiola's side, scoring 19 goals and providing 18 assists in 213 appearances across all competitions.
Rodri also aided City in winning the treble last season, even scoring the winner as the Cityzens downed Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final to lift their maiden UCL trophy. He has also been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d'Or for his efforts.
Despite his impressive credentials, Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko believes Thomas Partey is the better individual player. The Ukrainian recently appeared on Rio Ferdinand's FIVE podcast, where he said:
"But Thomas Partey I don't know"
Ferdinand replied:
"Better than Rodri?"
To which Zinchenko said:
"Listen I mean like..."
This, in turn, left Ferdinand aghast:
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving"
Co-host Joel Beya hilariously narrated Ferdinand's reaction:
"Rio's left the room"
Zinchenko then explained himself:
"Rio please come one day to see him on the training session. Come, come one day and see him."
He continued:
"He has everything. I mean, Rodri he absolutely fits so well for City's system. If you take him out it's different city that's for sure. He's like the main detail there because for me at City this is the hardest, the toughest, the hardest position to play is the hardest and Rodri fits so well there."
"But if you are talking about just one player, put player here and put player here, and overall quality."
The full clip can be viewed below:
The Arsenal midfielder has scored five goals and provided four assists in 103 appearances fr the Gunners. The 30-year-old has been deployed as a right-back by Mikel Arteta this season, with Declan Rice being preferred as Arsenal's central defensive midfielder.
Zinchenko has played alongside both players, having played with Rodri during his time with Manchester City.
Nicolas Pepe leaves Arsenal to join Turkish club Trabzonspor
While Zinchenko and Partey are thriving at Arsenal, their winger Nicolas Pepe has officially left the club on a free transfer on September 8. He joined Turkish side Trabzonspor after a four-year tenure at the Emirates.
Pepe was signed from Lille in the summer of 2019 for a club-record fee of £72 million at the time. The 28-year-old right-winger went on to score 27 goals and register 21 assists in 112 appearances across all competitions.
Despite having a decent first two seasons at the club, Pepe struggled to fit into Mikel Arteta's system during the first half of the 2021-22 season. He only scored three goals in 23 appearances and was loaned to Nice for the rest of the campaign.
Pepe no longer had a future with Arsenal by the end of his spell with head coach Mikel Arteta preferring Bukayo Saka. The Ivory Coast international was subsequently loaned to Nice for the entire 2022-23 season, where he scored eight goals in 28 appearances.