"His defensive ability was limited" - William Gallas believes Arsenal star who 'makes mistakes' is set to be replaced by Riccardo Calafiori
William Gallas has criticized Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko for being careless on occasion while defending. The pundit believes Riccardo Calafiori would be the perfect replacement for the Gunners.
The north London side signed Zinchenko from Manchester City two years ago. While the Ukraine international impressed at the Emirates in his debut campaign, his form took a nosedive last season.
Zinchenko made 20 Premier League starts last term and with Riccardo Calafiori's impending arrival, the 27-year-old may fall further down the pecking order. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal have reached an agreement to sign the Bologna defender. He's set to travel to London for a part of his medical and join Mikel Arteta's squad.
In a recent interview, Gallas said about Zinchenko's flaws (via Metro):
"I think Zinchenko had similar problems when he was at Manchester City. If you can remember, I don’t think that he played in that many of their big games because Pep Guardiola thought that his defensive ability was limited.
"With the ball and in possession, he’s a talented player. He is good on the counter attack, but when you ask him to defend and when you put him under pressure, he makes mistakes. He has made a lot of mistakes at Arsenal which is why they are looking to improve their defence."
"I think Arsenal’s football has moved on from what Zinchenko offers them. Football is a game that constantly evolves, and it is changing again at the moment in terms of how the best teams try and defend."
The former Chelsea star added on Calafiori:
"He’s young. He has good quality, and he can play as a centre back or as a left back. I think he would be a good signing for Arsenal because the club doesn’t really have a left back at the moment. There are doubts about that position."
Calafiori is reportedly set to join Arsenal on a five-year deal.
"How much City pushed us" - Zinchenko opens up about Arsenal's Premier League title race last season
Arsenal have fought back-to-back against Manchester City in the Premier League title race for the past two seasons. Despite leading the table for 248 days during the 2022-23 campaign, the Gunners fell short.
Mikel Arteta's side suffered a similar fate last season as dropped points cost them the league once again. They finished second in the standings, two points behind Manchester City.
After two certainly grueling seasons for the north Londoners, Oleksandr Zinchenko has opened up about challenging such a dominant team in City. The Ukrainian said (via Football.London):
"How much City pushed us extra in the last two years, it shows how demanding the league is and where the level is. I used to say the Premier League is the toughest in the world. Every single opponent can beat each other and every game is like a final here. This is not just words, this is true.
"I don’t think we need to copy someone like City. Of course at the moment they are probably the best team in the world. If you look at the stats and titles they have won in the last couple of years, it is amazing. You always need to look at the best and try to but not be like them, we need to be on top of them."
Zinchenko notably won four Premier League titles with Manchester City before his move to the Emirates.