Oleksandr Zinchenko was an intriguing signing made by Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window.
With just minutes remaining of the window, it was announced that Forest had submitted a deal sheet to try and sign Zinchenko from Arsenal at the eleventh hour.
The clock was ticking, but Forest swooped to take the Ukrainian star on loan, with the defender falling down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
In recent weeks, Zinchenko has returned to action, playing the full 90 minutes against FC Utrecht and taking his place on the bench against Tottenham last week.
The versatile performer hasn’t really hit his full tilt at Forest just yet, and ahead of tomorrow’s game against Fulham, Zinchenko has claimed what he wants to do more of at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest defender Oleksandr Zinchenko
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Oleksandr Zinchenko makes Nottingham Forest claim
It’s extremely refreshing to hear footballers speak from the heart and tell things exactly as they are, given that in a media-trained era, players normally say what supporters want to hear.
Zinchenko will hope to be part of the squad down at Fulham on Monday night, and it’s clear that he’s keen to start contributing more to the team.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: “I feel amazing at Forest. It’s a big club with amazing people around.
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“I must use this opportunity to say a massive thanks to all the fans for the warm welcome. I really feel like I need to give much more to the club.”
Zinchenko might not get chance to prove himself
The signing of Zinchenko was a little bit intriguing, given that he’s hardly been getting a look-in at Arsenal and is prone to some erratic defending.
It’s not really gone according to plan just yet either, with Zinchenko missing a number of months through injury and only recently returning.
Does Zinchenko have a future at Forest?
The left-back has struggled so far at the City Ground
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Zinchenko has found regular game time hard to come by at Forest, with Neco Williams proving an immovable object at left-back and Nicolo Savona playing well on the opposite flank.
It’s great that he concedes that he needs to do more, however, and it will be fascinating to see what he can start to achieve at the club if there does come a point where he gets a regular run of games.