"I am sure he has been promised that by Arteta" - Paddy Kenny says Arsenal manager would have promised to start 25-year-old star in every game
Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has claimed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta might have guaranteed new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko a regular place in the starting lineup. The Ukrainian joined the north London club from Manchester City in a deal worth £32 million earlier this month.
Zinchenko has been a prominent member for Pep Guardiola's team since the 2017-18 campaign. He made 184 appearances across competitions for the Cityzens, winning four Premier League, a FA Cup and four EFL Cup titles. However, the 25-year-old recently fell behind Joao Cancelo in the pecking order.
The Ukrainian has now joined Arsenal, where he's expected to provide cover and competition to Kieran Tierney. The Scotland international has been ravaged by injuries since arriving from Celtic in 2019.
Zinchenko can also play as a midfielder, a role he has thrived in for his national team. Kenny believes the versatile player is a great signing for Arsenal, telling Football Insider.
"It's an unbelievable move for everyone involved. He needed more game time. He isn't that old, but he is a really experienced player. I just thought that last season, Arsenal's team needed a bit of experience in there. They have a young side, and even though Zinchenko is young, he brings that experience after having such a great career at Man City."
Kenny continued:
"It's a great signing, and I'm sure Arsenal fans will be excited to see him come in and join this exciting squad. He needs to start every game now; that's what he wanted, and I'm sure he has been promised that by Arteta."
Oleksandr Zinchenko is one of Arsenal's own 🔴 https://t.co/QqUqQeSTcg
Oleksandr Zinchenko made his debut for Arsenal in their impressive 4-0 demolition of Chelsea in the Florida Cup final on July 24.
Arsenal manager hails versatile Zinchenko
As per Sky Sports, Arsenal have been linked with a move for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans. The Gunners are eager to sign a ball-playing midfielder to play alongside Thomas Partey at the centre of the park next season.
The club could, however, opt against signing the Belgian due to Oleksandr Zinchenko's versatility. The Ukrainian is unlikely to replace Tierney as the first-choice left-back, as the Scotland international has been one of their standout defenders in recent years despite his injury woes.
“I’m surprised #MCFC let him go!” 😱
“I think he wants to play midfield. It’ll be interesting to see. I’ve always liked him.”
Jason Cundy lauds #AFC’s signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Man City. ✍️ https://t.co/aIzzod1mfH
Zinchenko could be deployed as a midfielder by Arteta, who gave an insight into the abilities of the 25-year-old, in an interview with The Sun.
“He can play in both defence and midfield," said Arteta. "He was a natural No10 early in his career, and we converted him into a left-back which can do a lot of things that we want in our way of playing. That versatility is something that is going to be important for the team because we have players in that position who are more specific full-backs, so I'm really happy."