Oleksandr Zinchenko has successfully completed a transfer from Manchester City to Arsenal. The parties reached an agreement on a £30 million deal, which includes £2 million in add-ons. The 25-year-old took a flight back from City’s pre-season tour of the USA to finalise the transfer.
Zinchenko was delighted with the move and described it as a dream come true. The Ukrainian international talked about his childhood idols Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, both of who donned the Gunners jersey.
This is a boyhood dream come true. I was a massive fan when I was a kid,” Since Thierry Henry and young Cesc Fabregas was playing here, I was just enjoying watching those games, that Arsenal. And obviously, I started to love this club.
Zinchenko was in the Manchester City squad when Arteta was the assistant manager at the Etihad. He states that this previous association was a significant reason for his arrival.
The Manager On Zinchenko
Arteta was buzzing after the signing as well. The Spaniard had been pushing for the signing for quite some time now. He described Zinchenko as a person with “great human qualities and character” in addition to his footballing ability.
We’re so happy Alex [Zinchenko] has joined us. He’s a player that I personally know really well and continued to follow him after my time at Manchester City. Alex is a high-quality player who will give us options and versatility. It’s not only about the positions he can play but as well, the versatility he will give us in attack and defence. Alex is a person with great human qualities and character.
After missing out on Lisandro Martinez, Arsenal went all in to sign Zinchenko. Similar to the Argentinian, Zinchenko can fill in a number of positions. He can play at left-back and central midfield.
Zinchenko joined City in 2016 and made 127 appearances during his time there, in addition to playing 52 matches for Ukraine.
Follow us on Twitter for more football updates.
