What will Oleksandr Zinchenko bring to Arsenal?

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has worked closely with Oleksandr Zinchenko and is reportedly looking for a reunion with the versatile defender at the Emirates.

Zinchenko has been a bit-part player for Manchester City in recent season and was back-up to Joao Cancelo during the 21/22 season where he played just over a 1000 minutes in the league as City romped to another title-winning season under Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal were in close talks with Lisandro Martinez, however, the Argentine international has ultimately picked Manchester United as his final destination leaving Arsenal with another target out of their grasp after missing out on Raphinha earlier in the window.

It seems now though that Arteta is looking to use his relationship with Zinchenko to convince him to make the move to Arsenal after Gabriel Jesus left City to join the Gunners recently.

So what will Zinchenko bring to the Gunners and how will he add to the team?

Zinchenko’s time at City has always been a case of being a back-up to a first-choice left-back. He has never played more than 1500 minutes in a season since joining the club back in 2017. However, he has a lot to offer to teams where can slot in as first-choice left-back.

Given Nuno Tavares’ disappointing debut season with the Gunners, it is likely that Zinchenko will become an instant starter for the club at the left-back spot.

In his brief periods with Manchester City where he has started back to back games, Zinchenko has often shown the quality and footballing intelligence to contribute in offensive and defensive phases and coming from a team that has always dominated possession during games, Zinchenko’s addition will help Arsenal build from the back even better.

In the 21/22 season, according to FBref, Zinchenko averaged 8.02 progressive passes per90 in the Premier League, a figure that puts him in the 99th percentile when compared with his positional peers across the top five leagues.

His passing range and ability over short and long distances is immense and Arsenal’s direct forwards will benefit hugely from his ability to break defensive lines from deeper areas on the pitch.

He is not just one to stay deeper on the pitch, however. When presented with his space to carry the ball, Zinchenko is often capable of breaking through the opposition press and progress the ball down the flank before laying the ball off to one of the team’s attackers or midfielders.

According to FBref, he averaged 9.30 progressive carries per90 in the league last season, a figure which once again puts him up in the 99th percentile of all fullbacks across the top five leagues. Therefore, he has the ability to progress possession and move the ball further upfield either by his clever passing or movement on the ball. He is effective in both ways.

Another great strength of Zinchenko is his ability to make himself available for the ball in positive areas further up the pitch, he averaged 3.25 progressive passes received per90 during the 21/22 season, a figure which is relatively high for a fullback and put him in the 83rd percentile of all fullbacks across the top five leagues.

Ball retention and security in possession is another key facet of players in Arteta’s system and Zinchenko’s pass completion rate of 88% is yet another positive figure and just another sign of why he is an easy fit into this Arsenal side.

Not to mention, Zinchenko’s ability to play in central midfield will also mean that Arteta will have the ability to rotate players and change systems as he sees fit before and during games.

All in all, this is a really good transfer that benefits all parties involved, and with Zinchenko likely entering his prime years as a footballer, Arsenal fans will see the best of him for years to come.