Latest news with #Zinchenko
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal Left-Back Wants To Leave For Borussia Dortmund: Should The Gunners Let Him Leave?
Arsenal are set to see some major changes in their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window. A number of fringe players might be on their way out of the club in the summer to facilitate the move for the new signings. Football Insider has reported that Oleksandr Zinchenko might be on his way out of the club in the summer. The left-back is no longer a guaranteed starter for the club and might want to move to a place where he gets consistent game time. Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko wants to leave for Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund are interested in signing him, and the player wants to leave for the Bundesliga club as well. Zinchenko feels that he will get consistent game time there, and that is very important for him at this stage of his career. The Ukrainian has the quality to play regularly in the Bundesliga for Dortmund and might go on to become an important player for them. Advertisement Arsenal have the youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly as the first-choice left-back in the club, and he has been in sensational form this season for the Gunners. The player is also expected to sign a new contract with the club, making Zinchenko's game time even less. Why should the gunners let him leave? If Zinchenko wants regular minutes and Dortmund are keen, Arsenal should seriously consider letting him go—but only if they have a solid replacement lined up. While his technical ability and versatility have been valuable, he is no longer a first-choice option under Arteta. Holding onto an unhappy player helps no one. A move could benefit all parties: Arsenal could reinvest the fee into strengthening depth or bringing in a more defensively solid full-back, while Zinchenko gets a fresh start. Zinchenko's technical prowess, vision, and ability to drift into midfield make him ideal for a possession-based system like Dortmund's. His experience in high-pressure matches, versatility across positions, and leadership qualities add depth and maturity. He can also aid Dortmund's build-up play with calmness and smart passing under pressure.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three ways Arsenal could line up without Mikel Merino against PSG amid injury fears
Injury doubt: Mikel Merino is in a race to prove his fitness ahead of PSG's visit (Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Mikel Arteta will be desperately hoping Mikel Merino is fit for next week's clash with Paris Saint-Germain, as otherwise the Arsenal manager will have a major selection headache. Arsenal are already short on midfield options as Jorginho is out injured and Thomas Partey is suspended for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final with PSG on Tuesday night. Advertisement Merino is now a doubt after being left out of the Arsenal squad for their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Arteta said the Spaniard was not fit and he was unable to offer any guarantee he will be ready to face PSG at Emirates Stadium next week. And so, here, Standard Sport takes a look at three solutions if Arsenal are without Merino… Start Zinchenko Oleksandr Zinchenko has spent much of his Arsenal career at left-back, but more recently he has been used in midfield. Zinchenko has plenty of experience playing there and that is where he usually lines up for Ukraine. The 28-year-old could play on the left of a midfield three, with Martin Odegaard the other No8 and Declan Rice behind them. Advertisement Zinchenko impressed in midfield last month and was on the scoresheet when Arsenal beat PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Playing the Ukrainian would add to experience to the side, while it would also require minimal disruption elsewhere. Leandro Trossard could play as a No9 in the absence of Merino and he has impressed this month, scoring four goals. The concern with Zinchenko would be the lack of physical presence he can offer as a No8 in comparison to Merino and Rice. But when it comes to technique and ability on the ball, the 28-year-old would prove a viable option. Oleksandr Zinchenko is an option to start on the left of a midfield three (Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Drop Trossard into midfield Trossard is enjoying a fine run of form and his goal against Crystal Palace made it four in his last four Premier League games. Advertisement The Belgian has excelled as a striker during that run and, if Merino is fit, he would likely get the nod to start up front against PSG. Trossard, however, could play in midfield if Arsenal are without Merino for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. The 30-year-old has played there for the Gunners and Belgium, and it is a role he enjoys playing. 'It's a position I can handle as well,' he said last season. 'I've played there with the Belgian national team. If I can get a run it's different but I need to be switched on because it can change every week.' The issue with Trossard playing in midfield is it would leave Arteta with a dilemma as to who he sticks up front. Advertisement Ethan Nwaneri is viewed as a long-term option there, while Raheem Sterling can play through the middle, too. Gabriel Martinelli is another possible solution, but Arsenal are short on left wing options if Trossard plays in midfield. Leandro Trossard or Ethan Nwaneri could drop back into midfield (Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Turn to Lewis-Skelly or Nwaneri This is, perhaps, the most exciting option and certainly one that fans would be open to seeing. Myles Lewis-Skelly has excelled at left-back this season, but he came through Arsenal's academy as a midfielder. The 18-year-old could prove an effective weapon as a left No8 given his ability to drive forward with the ball. Lewis-Skelly, as he has shown this season, is also brilliant out of possession and he would give Arsenal a physical presence in that area of the pitch. Advertisement 'He stepped in midfield the other day and he looked very, very comfortable,' said Arteta on Tuesday. 'He's played his whole career and he's good.' Pushing Lewis-Skelly forward would force Arteta to find a solution at left-back. Kieran Tierney and Zinchenko would be options, but neither offers the same defensive solidity as Lewis-Skelly. Riccardo Calafiori, another option, has not played since March due to a knee injury and is only just getting back to full fitness. If Arteta wanted to keep Lewis-Skelly in defence, then he could turn to Nwaneri. The 18-year-old has excelled as a right No8 this season, but could line up on the left of midfield next to Odegaard. It would be a very bold and attacking call, however Arsenal's attack may benefit from having two playmakers in midfield.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Arsenal ‘cannot relax for a second' against Real Madrid
Oleksandr Zinchenko has demanded faultless focus from Arsenal after they set up a meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Ukraine international opened the scoring in the Gunners' 2-2 last-16 second-leg draw with PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium, which saw them through to the last eight with a 9-3 win on aggregate. Mikel Arteta's men resume their European quest at home against the Champions League holders on April 8 before travelling to the Spanish capital for the reverse fixture the following Wednesday. 'I think in this competition, especially at this stage, you cannot be relaxed even for one second – because, honestly, the level and demands from all the teams at this stage is so high,' said Zinchenko. 'If you are relaxed, even for a bit, they can punish you. This is what we should learn from the past. I think we have got this experience already, so let's see how it works.' This is the first time the Gunners, who were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the last eight in 2023-24, have made it to the Champions League quarter-finals in back-to-back seasons since 2010. Arsenal had not conceded a goal at home in the competition until Ivan Perisic cancelled out Zinchenko's sixth-minute opener on Wednesday night. Declan Rice restored the lead before the break but Couhaib Driouech drew the sides back level on the night 20 minutes from time. Both Arsenal assists came courtesy of Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling, who will miss the first leg through suspension after he was booked in second-half stoppage time, his third yellow card of the competition. Arteta took advantage of their record-setting 7-1 first-leg triumph going into the PSV encounter, making seven changes from the weekend draw to Manchester United. Zinchenko, who has made 17 appearances across all competitions this season, was pragmatic when asked if his efforts against PSV – where he spent a season on loan in 2016-17 – should buy him more minutes. He said: 'Honestly, I am so happy to be part of this amazing club and team. It is really a joy to be close to these guys. 'Whenever the team and head coach needs me, I am there. In any position they need me, I am there to help. 'Even if I will be in the stands, I will try to make an impact as much as I can – to push the others, just to hug someone, whatever! It is really a joy to be here.' The 28-year-old's contract expires next June but for now his focus remains on the task at hand rather than the possibility of talks in the summer. 'I don't know yet to be honest,' he said. 'If I would know, I could tell [you]. 'It's still a long way to go until the end of the season. I think we are at the most interesting period of the season, where every single game is a final, and you never know what is going to happen in football.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta might regret big missed opportunity with forgotten man Oleksandr Zinchenko
Mikel Arteta will hold talks with Oleksandr Zinchenko over his future at the end of the season and the growing sense is that the Ukrainian will leave Arsenal this summer. Zinchenko was once a key player under Arteta, but he has slipped down the pecking order and started just four games this season. Borussia Dortmund were interested in signing the 28-year-old during the January transfer window and come the summer he will have just one year left on his current contract. 'I do that with every player before we finalise the season, if possible, if we have time to do so,' said Arteta, when asked about holding talks with Zinchenko. 'So everybody's clear on expectations from each other, clarity about how we're feeling about each other and how that relationship can continue is the best thing, and other things to do and discuss. I'm certainly going to have that discussion with all of them.' When Zinchenko joined Arsenal in the summer of 2022 for over £30million from Manchester City, he revolutionised how the team played out from the back. Tucking into the centre of the pitch from left-back, he allowed Arsenal to create an overload in midfield and dominate opponents. It sparked an unexpected title charge and Zinchenko was a driving force of that. The summer he joined, he constantly told players they should be challenging for the title despite missing out on the top four the previous season. Zinchenko established himself as a leader and popular figure, not least because he is never shy of playing a practical joke. The left-back was at the heart of Arsenal's title charge in 2022-23 and twice that year he won Arsenal's Player of the Month award. Now, though, he looks like he may have his Arsenal swansong in another position. Zinchenko's last three appearances have come in midfield and that is where he may get the nod for Wednesday's Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven. Arsenal are 7-1 up from last week's first leg and, as such, Arteta is expected to rotate given a place in the quarter-finals is so wrapped up that it just needs a bow on it. Zinchenko has never started in midfield for Arsenal, but there are limited options available to Arteta if he wants to rest the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino would normally come into the team, but they are both starting in attack right now due to injuries in the forward line. Arteta will want to give them a rest as the Gunners host Chelsea on Sunday and so the door may open for Zinchenko to play as a left No8 after spending time training there recently. 'He's very good, and with the options that we have, we believe that it's a position that he can help in and that suits him,' said Arteta. 'He's played there before, I've known him for many years and he can really fit in that position, and he's adapted really well in training. He had a few opportunities in the last few games as well to show that. So, I'm happy that he's doing well there.' It is clear this Arsenal team has evolved beyond Zinchenko when it comes to him playing left-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori offer a greater level of physicality, while Zinchenko's constant battle with calf injuries has hindered his availability too. There will, perhaps, be some regret from Arteta though that he did not try Zinchenko in midfield sooner. Zinchenko has looked bright during his brief cameos there recently and - given Arsenal's need for more creativity in attack this season - it feels like he could have be an option. When coming up against defences that sit deep, the burden has fallen on Odegaard to unlock opponents. Playing Zinchenko alongside him as a second playmaker could have maybe alleviated some of that. It is a role Zinchenko plays for Ukraine and now it might be the position he ends up playing in his remaining days at Arsenal.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: Atletico Madrid close to securing versatile Arsenal ace
With only a few days to go of the current transfer window, there isn't long for deals to be executed. Mikel Arteta allowing Oleksandr Zinchenko to move could be one that does go through before the deadline, however. Sources have indicated that both Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are interested in transferring the 28-year-old Ukrainian from Arsenal, and the Gunners will consider offers on the grounds that Zinchenko has only 18 months left on his contract. There is certainly business to be done in this window, with Arsenal one of many clubs trying to sign Mathys Tel. Dusan Vlahovic is also of interest to Arsenal, after the North Londoners had a bid turned down by Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins. Though the focus of incoming transfers appears to be on goal scorers, it's clear that the squad more widely needs to be trimmed. Zinchenko transferred from Manchester City in 2022 and initially played an important role in Mikel Arteta's system. However, with the rise of teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly and the fact that Riccardo Calafiori can also play at left-back, it seems that Arsenal have good depth at the left-back position. Not to mention that Kieran Tierney will remain at the club until the summer too. Sources have indicated to CaughtOffside that the player has now accepted that it would be futile to keep pushing to get into the squad on a more regular basis, and will listen to the offers placed in front of him. Given that the window closes on Monday, he hasn't given himself too much time to get the deal he wants, however, where there's a will on all sides, there's a way.
