Arsenal are deep into their transfer business, as Mikel Arteta shows his ruthless side
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to sell one of his “struggling” players, after landing his most recent signing.
The Gunners have had a slow start to the transfer window, with the Basque boss recently telling ESPN that, “Hopefully now it is going to pick up a little bit,” while discussing potential deals.
David Raya became the club's first permanent signing, as he triggered the clause in his loan move from Brentford – with the next move having been all but finalised, too.
David Raya has officially joined Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to The Express, Italy star Riccardo Calafiori's imminent arrival means that inverted full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko will be moved on.
The Athletic reported earlier this year that the Ukrainian has still not been offered an extension to his current contract, which ends in 2026. This is despite other major players of Zinchenko's standard being granted new deals.
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Towards the end of last season, Takehiro Tomiyasu was preferred to Zinchenko at left-back, with Polish centre-back Jakub Kiwior even selected for big games. The Express have referred to Zinchenko as “struggling” at times last season, with a turning point coming away to Chelsea, when the 27-year-old was hooked at half-time for more defensive solidity in the shape of Tomiyasu.
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In FourFourTwo's view, this is a sensible move that Arsenal should make – and one that is critical if they are to improve as a selling club.
Oleksandr Zinchenko looks set to leave Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Gunners have been roundly criticised for their inability to shift assets well in the past and given that Zinchenko is a versatile and experienced Premier League star, there's no excuse not to recoup a good fee for him two years from his contract expiry.
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
