What Does the Future Hold for Oleksandr Zinchenko?

03/28/2025 03:07 PM

It has been three years since Arsenal completed a double-swoop on Manchester City and signed Oleksandr Zinchenko for £30 million and Gabriel Jesus for £45 million. Both players provided an initial boost of quality to the Gunners’ set-up, with Jesus scoring for fun in his opening weeks and offering a breath of fresh air at the center forward position. As for Zinchenko, he became a vital cog at the inverted left back position, constantly shifting inside and bringing a much-needed dose of quality in possession.

However, both players were forced to watch on as their former team claimed the treble in the 2022/23 season, before edging Arsenal to the Premier League title on the final day of the 2023/24 season. And after an incredibly promising start to life in North London, both players have come under increasing scrutiny. Jesus has been marred with constant injury issues and inconsistent finishing, and he will miss the final four months of the campaign after suffering an ACL injury in January.

Arsenal may be inclined to give Jesus another year to prove himself and get back to full fitness — after all, he scored six goals in his final seven matches leading up to his injury — but they may not afford Zinchenko that same luxury. Whilst Jesus’ contract is set to expire in 2027, Zinchenko’s deal will expire in 2026, and there has been precious little movement in terms of agreeing a new deal.

The four-time Premier League winner mastered the inverted fullback role under Arteta, but soon, his defensive shortcomings were laid to bare. Opponents started to recognize that with Zinchenko tucking into midfield, there was ample space to be exploited on the left side of defense. And even when he did stay put in the backline, he proved to be a defensive liability.

These opposing teams realized that Zinchenko was the weak link and chose to target him in their attacks. In contrast to the rock-solid Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba, Zinchenko seemed unwilling to clear his lines and put his boot in to stop a cross. He seemed far too casual and unable to react in time, often overcommitting and allowing his opponent to get by him, whilst there were also various occasions where he’d make a risky back pass and give the ball away in his own third.

Although he has spent the majority of his Premier League career as a left back, Zinchenko’s preferred position is undoubtedly in central midfield. It is here in midfield where Zinchenko has the license to drive forward, pick his head up, and find his teammates in dangerous areas. Similarly to ex-Newcastle midfielder Diego Gavilán, Zinchenko has a penchant for roaming into the half-spaces and making dangerous through balls for teammates to convert.

Whenever he does play in midfield — such is the case with his international team — he looks far more comfortable and confident in his abilities. We saw this on March 12, where he opened the scoring in Arsenal’s second leg vs. PSV Eindhoven, before grabbing an assist in Ukraine’s 3-1 win against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. It’s this versatility that could very well see him spend another season in the capital.

Even with Kieran Tierney set to join Celtic and Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior potentially following him out the exit door this summer, Arsenal are still well-stocked at the left back position with Riccardo Calafiori, Jurriën Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly. It bares the question — could Arteta decide to transition Zinchenko into a central role and reinvent him once again?

With new sporting director Andrea Berta at the helm, Arsenal are keen to shake up their midfield core this summer. Thomas Partey and Jorginho are both being linked with an exit, whilst the likes of Bruno Guimarães and Martín Zubimendi have been rumored as potential targets. As such, it may behoove Arsenal to keep hold of him as a veteran leader and help provide some stability in the central midfield position.

Zinchenko isn’t just a creative spark in midfield who has the technical grace and panache to break the lines with his passing, pick out teammates with a dangerous through ball, and test the goalkeeper with a lovely free kick. He’s also a source of inspiration for his country, which has now been under Russian invasion for the past four years. He is a role model for so many Ukrainian youngsters like Heorhiy Sudakov, Volodymyr Brazhko and Artem Smolyakov who realize that they too can one day play in the Champions League and the Premier League.

Arteta will be counting on Zinchenko as they look to pull off a shock upset in Europe’s premier competition and knock out reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid in a few weeks’ time. Such is his in-game intelligence and vision that Zinchenko can help spearhead an excellent performance and make sure his teammates are focused at the task at hand.

It remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal will sell Zinchenko, or renew his contract, or allow him to enter the 2025/26 season with an expiring contract, but one thing’s for sure: he certainly won’t be short of suitors. Although City may not be too keen on a reunion after splurging heavily on Nico González in midfield as well as Abdukadir Khusanov and Vítor Reis in the January window, Borussia Dortmund have been linked with a potential move. But before making a decision about his future, he’ll be looking to guide Arsenal to their first-ever Champions League title.

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