Official: Arsenal sign Oleksandr Zinchenko for £32m from Man City
FT Desk
- Updated: 22 Jul 2022 18:14 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal have completed the signing of Manchester City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko for a fee that will eventually reach £32 million.
The Gunners have agreed a deal with Man City that will see them pay an initial £30m plus £2m in add-ons and Zinchenko has penned a four-year contract at the Emirates.
Arsenal Technical Director Edu said: “I'm very pleased to see how we're working as a team here in the club. We put a plan together early and Oleksandr Zinchenko was a main focus on our list.
"We’re pleased to have Alex with us now because he has the attributes which I’m sure are going to put our squad at a different level.”
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The 25-year-old has been an important part of Pep Guardiola’s setup at the Etihad Stadium, but most of his playing time has come at left-back, a role he adopted under the Catalan coach.
Zinchenko links up with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta again having been coached by the Spaniard when he was part of City's backroom staff prior to joining Arsenal.
Arteta said: “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, and I’m delighted that everyone has made this huge effort to bring Alex to the club.”
Zinchenko started off playing as a winger, and currently occupies a midfield position for the Ukraine national team – a role which he excels in, as seen from his recent performances in World Cup qualifiers.
Zinchenko becomes the fifth signing of the summer for Arsenal in what has been another busy window for them.
They had previous signed Gabriel Jesus from Man City, Fabio Vieira from Porto, Marquinhos from Sao Paulo and Matt Turner from New England.
This signing takes Arsenal’s summer spending to well over the €100m mark.
Zinchenko joined Man City from Russian side Ufa in 2016 and has since gone on to make 128 appearances for the club, scoring two goals.
He has won four Premier League titles during that time, one FA Cup, four EFL Cups and a FA Community Shield.
He has been capped 52 times by Ukraine, scoring eight goals and being named Ukrainian Footballer of the Year in 2019. He appeared at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.
Zinchenko is one of a number of influential Man City players to leave this summer, with Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling (to Arsenal) and Fernandinho (end of contract) also moving on.
