Zinchenko shows Arsenal he must STAY as leadership shines through at Euro 2024

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 17 Jun 2024 15:47 BST
3 min read

Oleksandr Zinchenko showed off great leadership qualities in Ukraine's Euro 2024 game against Romania.

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The Arsenal defender was the first to rush up to Andriy Lunin, who was at fault for Nicolae Stanciu's goal to open the deficit.

The goalkeeper made a poor pass which ultimately led to the goal, and was roundly criticised for losing his head.

But Zinchenko was the first member of the side to come up and put an arm around the Real Madrid goalkeeper, showing that the full-back has the right mentality at the top level.

The former Manchester City man could not help his side falling apart in the second-half, though. Lunin committed another howler - this time letting the ball go under him following a strike from Razvan Marin.

Zinchenko consoling Lunin but oh brother it was a disastrous mix up in defense and gk
— Çaki🇭🇷(;;)🇹🇷🇬🇪🇨🇿🇸🇰🇷🇴🇺🇦 (@20220904saki) June 17, 2024

Maximilian Mittelstad on Arsenal's radar

It comes after our story that Arsenal are eyeing Germany international Maximilian Mittelstadt ahead of the summer transfer window, who could be a replacement for Zinchenko.

As the Gunners gear up for another Premier League title race with Manchester City, the side are looking to fine-tune their squad, with Mikel Arteta set to be significantly backed, as previously reported.

While not the top priority, bolstering the left-back position is on the agenda for Arsenal, with uncertainty around the future of Kieran Tierney.

Sources indicate that Arsenal scouts plan to fly to Munich to watch 27-year-old Mittelstadt in action during the opening fixture of the Euros, where Germany face Scotland at the Allianz Arena on June 14th.

The Gunners are in search of a specialist left-back capable of inverting into midfield and joining the attack, similar to the role of Zinchenko.

Mittelstadt has been in spectacular form this season for VfB Stuttgart and is expected to be a key player for Germany at Euro 2024 on home soil.