Oleksandr Zinchenko has claimed that Arsenal’s ‘time is coming’ under ‘winner’ Mikel Arteta ahead of the Gunners’ pre-season clash with Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Arteta’s side face the Red Devils in the USA as part of their preparation for the new season, and will be looking to go one better than last season.
Though they led the Premier League for much of the campaign, a drop-off in form across April and May saw the Gunners lose ground and ultimately the title to Manchester City, who scooped the trophy on their way to an impressive treble, something last achieved by Manchester United in 1999.
Despite this setback, Zinchenko is confident that trophies will be heading the way of the north London side sooner rather than later, and has admitted that only Arteta would have been able to persuade him to leave the Etihad.
“I smell that Arsenal’s time is coming,” he said.
“It is not a secret I knew for quite a while if one day I needed to leave Manchester City it would be only for this manager.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: “I said to myself, if one day I need to leave [Man] City & stay in the Premier League, it’s going to be only one manager – Mikel Arteta. The way he sees football, his vision, he’s a winner. It’s a dream to be in this kind of team for every player.” #afc pic.twitter.com/elSMp8VTrj
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 22, 2023
There was also special praise for 22-year-old star William Saliba, whose injury last season coincided with Arsenal’s fall from the top of the Premier League table.
Now having signed a new contract to keep him in north London until 2027, he is a firm favourite within the squad, and is clearly very highly rated, as Zinchenko demonstrated.
“What do you think of Willy?” Arteta asked the Ukrainian ahead of their pre-season clash with Manchester United.
Zinchenko simply replied: “Unbelievable!”
Having swapped Manchester for north London 12 months ago in a deal worth £35m, Zinchenko has become a key cog in Arteta’s side and is expected to remain so for the upcoming campaign.
