Oleksandr Zinchenko wasn’t at Nottingham Forest for too long and was sent back to Arsenal during the January transfer window.
The Ukrainian international was clearly a signing that Edu pushed for, with the Global Head of Football knowing the left-back from his time with Arsenal.
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Zinchenko suffered an injury during his time at the City Ground, which sidelined him for some time, and when he did play, he was clearly well short of match fitness.
In January, the defender went back to Arsenal from Forest, where he was subsequently moved on to Ajax, with the player enduring a nightmare start with his new club.
Oleksandr Zinchenko in action for Nottingham Forest vs Sunderland
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Oleksandr Zinchenko visibly emotional on Ajax debut
Zinchenko has suffered the worst possible start to life in Holland.
After scoring in a behind-closed-doors friendly contest, Zinchenko looked to have his sights on putting his drab Forest spell behind him at his new club.
However, disaster struck just three minutes into his home Ajax debut against Fortuna Sittard – a game in which the hosts won 4-1 to maintain their third-place standing in the Eredivisie.
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Zinchenko suffered what looked to be a serious injury, with the player stretchered off, looking to be in some distress, and some photographs showed him looking very emotional.
The defender was immediately replaced, and now it remains to be seen what the real prognosis is for the player, but it does feel as though his 2025/26 campaign is now over.
Forest need to avoid Zinchenko-type signings in the future
If Forest remain a Premier League club, it’s imperative that George Syrianos is given the keys to the castle and Edu is kept as far away from transfers as possible.
Syrianos has signed a number of hits for Forest and the hope will be that he continues to have a big say in the transfer window for the Reds.
Zinchenko was likely signed due to his experience in the Premier League but as a backup to Neco Williams, Forest should have targeted a younger left-back – much like Luca Netz, who was added in January.
Naturally, the hope will be that Zinchenko recovers from his injury soon but thankfully, he’s no longer on the wage bill at Forest and the club did well to shift him in January.
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