Oleksandr Zinchenko is not expected to leave Arsenal on transfer deadline day, according to a report, despite recent links with Marseille.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal takes his coat off after the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between Arsenal FC and FC Shakhtar Donetsk at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Isaan Khan of the Daily Mail reports that Oleksandr Zinchenko is not expected to be leaving Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
Khan writes that Zinchenko has been in talks with multiple clubs throughout the window, most recently Marseille. But that move is currently not set to happen, and barring a shock turnaround, the defender will remain in north London this season.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal applauds the fans at the end of the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Emirates Stadium on November 23, 2024. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
It doesn’t look like Zinchenko is set to get minutes with Arsenal this season, with Riccardo Calafiori taking a starting role in Mikel Arteta’s side, Myles Lewis-Skelly to back him up, and Piero Hincapie also joining the club as a player capable of operating at left-back.
Given the recently published quotes from Zinchenko’s autobiography where he talks about his desire to play regularly, he should be frustrated if he fails to secure a move to somewhere that will be possible.
Yet there have been rumblings for a few weeks that Zinchenko may choose to run down his contract with Arsenal, which expires in 2026. That would give him the freedom to go wherever he wants next summer, but it would certainly feel like putting money over minutes.
If your top priority was football, you’d take the pay cut and go to Marseille now.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal jumps for the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Emirates Stadium on August 17, 2024. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
The one positive is that Zinchenko’s departure doesn’t appear to be absolutely necessary from a numbers perspective.
Even if Piero Hincapie completes his deadline-day move to Arsenal, the departures of Jakub Kiwior and Albert Sambi Lokonga would be enough to keep the Gunners within the squad limits.
There are other players who might go, especially Fabio Vieira. Reiss Nelson is another who could leave before the deadline. But Arsenal don’t need to sell or loan Vieira, Nelson, or Zinchenko to stay within the limits.
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