Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe admits two Edu signings really shocked him

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Emile Smith Rowe has admitted he can’t believe that Manchester City allowed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to join Arsenal last summer.

Both Jesus and Zinchenko are enjoying exceptional campaigns under Mikel Arteta, with Arsenal looking to pip their old side to the Premier League title.

Of course, Jesus has only just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. But the 25-year-old was arguably one of the most in-form players in the league before his injury.

Zinchenko has thrived at left-back in north London, with Arteta giving him the freedom to drift towards the centre of the pitch to help control games.

Although Leandro Trossard has made a huge impact since his switch from Brighton in January, the pair have undoubtedly been Arsenal’s best signings over the past few windows.

And Smith Rowe says he was shocked that Edu Gaspar managed to bring them in.

Smith Rowe shocked by Jesus and Zinchenko signings

Speaking to The Daily Express, Smith Rowe hailed the former City stars for the impact they’ve had in north London so far. He also labelled Zinchenko as ‘one of the best’ technical players that he’s ever seen.

“I felt it from pre-season, you could see the look on everyone’s face as to how ready everyone was,” the Arsenal youngster said.

“With the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus coming in, it just felt like the whole dynamic changed. They’ve been there, they know what it’s like to win.

“I’d definitely say a lot of it was down to them coming in because their mentality has been indescribable. I can’t believe Manchester City let them go. ‘Zenko is one of the best technical players I’ve ever seen.”

If Arsenal do go on to beat City to the title, you can’t help but feel the Manchester side will have some regrets about allowing Jesus and Zinchenko to leave.

City probably didn’t view Arsenal as direct rivals for the title after they had missed out on the top-four last season.

But Arteta’s men have really kicked on this time out and that is partly down to the influence that both Zinchenko and Jesus have had on this Arsenal side.