Arsenal announce Oleksandr Zinchenko

It’s official! Arsenal just announced that they’ve signed Alex Zinchenko from Manchester City. The move cost £30M with £2M in “achievable add-ons” and the Ukrainian has signed a new contract with the Gunners through 2026. Zinchenko joins Matt Turner, Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus, and Marquinhos as the fifth incoming transfer for Mikel Arteta, and there are reports Edu is not done with his business for the summer window.

Where Zinchenko will line up is an open question, but one thing is for sure, he’s not been bought simply to be a backup for Kieran Tierney at left back. We took a closer look at how Mikel Arteta might deploy his newest signing. Zinchenko’s former teammates at Manchester City consistently described him as one of the most technically gifted players on their roster. And given their roster, that’s saying something.

Alexander Zinchenko immediately makes Arsenal better. My feeling is that he’s joined to be part of the preferred starting XI. Regardless, and I’ve been beating this drum all summer, Arsenal need better players. Mikel Arteta can sort out where and when to play them later. At the most basic level, the Gunners needed to up the number of quality players at the Emirates. This signing absolutely does that.