Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed Zinchenko’s departure for Arsenal in a press conference this morning.
The Ukrainian star is the third big money departure from the Etihad this summer, and Guardiola was grateful to have Zinchenko with the squad to say his good-byes:
"I'll say on behalf of the club our gratitude on and off the pitch."
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"It was nice yesterday with Oleks because we could say bye properly.”
Zinchenko grew to become a popular figure during his City tenure, with that infectious personality in combination with professionalism a key draw for Mikel Arteta.
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It wasn’t only the City boss that bemoaned the departure of the versatile 25-year-old, but also fellow fullback Kyle Walker:
“As you can see with the lads and throughout the training and even with the staff, he’s a really popular guy.”
“He’s going to be a miss, but listen, life goes on with football."
"We have to deal with it. It’s a little hurdle that we’ve had to overcome and we will just deal with the players we’ve got here.”
Zinchenko joins a squad firmly built around the ethos Arteta witnessed first hand during his time at Manchester City.
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The Spaniard will be hopeful that like Gabriel Jesus, the Ukrainian will seamlessly settle into his new home.
For the time being, Zinchenko looks set to meet up with the Gunners in Orlando.
Whilst it will be nigh-on impossible that he starts tonight against the MLS outfit, Arsenal fans will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the Ukrainian in the stands, although there is yet to be confirmation on whether that will happen.
The match against Orlando City is the second on the Gunners’ American tour, for more details, click here.
Topics: Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola
Jake Lennard