Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has been deemed to be in excess of the UAE’s wishes through former striker William Gallas.
The Ukrainian arrived in 2022 from Manchester City, Mikel Arteta’s former employer, in a £30 million deal and has taken over the starting left-back position under the Spanish. Last season, in which Pep Guardiola’s sky-blue device once again weighed on the Gunners’ hopes, Zinchenko was ousted by Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior.
Former Arsenal defender Gallas now believes that with the arrival of left-back Riccardo Calafiori, Arteta’s side have overtaken Zinchenko, and he will be on the move in this window.
Calafiori is expected to charge the Gunners around £42m, and with Arsenal’s new Italian signing set to go through a medical, it looks like Zinchenko will face a higher festival for his place in the first team.
Therefore, the 27-year-old has been linked with an exit this summer, and Gallas believe this is because Zinchenko was not up to the task. He told Gambling Zone: “I think Zinchenko had similar disorders when he was at Manchester City.
“If you remember, I don’t think he played that many of his important games because Pep Guardiola thought his defensive abilities were limited.
“With the ball and in possession, he’s a talented player. He’s smart on the counterattack, but when we ask him to protect and when we put pressure on him, he makes mistakes. He made a lot of mistakes at Arsenal. That’s why they’re going out on the hunt to defend. “
The former Arsenal ace also believes Arteta’s football has surpassed that of the defender, saying: “I think Arsenal’s football has evolved from what Zinchenko is giving them. Football is a constantly evolving game, and still It is transforming in terms of how the most sensible teams go out to defend.
“In recent years we have noticed that groups ask their left and right backs to move into midfield and develop play from the back. We have noticed that the four defenders defend the three with the ball; the role of a protector has replaced a lot, but now the emphasis turns out to be what they are there for: to protect very well and to be strong.
“There is a trend towards a much more powerful four-man defence. There are many reasons for this, but fundamentally it’s about being more powerful than the opponent and restricting the number of scoring opportunities. Football is evolving. We’re in an era that made them true advocates. “
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