‘I’ve been surprised’: Journalist says he was told £35m Arsenal star was signed to play in different position

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Oleksandr Zinchenko has proven to be a fantastic signing for Arsenal since arriving last summer for £35m from Manchester City.

The Ukrainian has barely put a foot wrong since joining the Gunners, and bringing him in has to be seen as an excellent bit of business.

However, his time at Arsenal hasn’t exactly followed the script that was set out for him when he arrived.

Indeed, according to Charles Watts, speaking on Inside Arsenal, Zinchenko was initially signed with the idea of playing in midfield in mind, but, as we all know, he’s played almost exclusively at left-back since coming to north London.

Zinchenko signed as a midfielder

Watts shared what he was told when Zinchenko first arrived in north London.

“It’s a good one and it’s one I’ve been surprised about since he signed. When he first arrived I remember being told in a conversation that he was being earmarked for that role in the Arsenal team, certainly to play minutes there, but, we just haven’t seen it, I am surprised because I think he has all of the ability to play that role and play it very well. He plays in midfield for Ukraine and he’s excellent there,” Watts said.

Could still move

Zinchenko is more than capable of playing in the midfield, and, in our view, a move into the middle could still be on the cards at some point.

Let’s be real, Kai Havertz hasn’t exactly set the world alight since joining Arsenal, and with Jurrien Timber more than capable of playing at left-back, perhaps this is a switch we could see when the Dutchman returns from injury.

Arsenal have a number of quality players who are very versatile, and perhaps that’s something Mikel Arteta should explore more.