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Oleksandr Zinchenko has revealed what he told Mykhailo Mudryk following his failed move to Arsenal.
Mudryk came close to joining Arsenal in the January transfer window before Chelsea hijacked their move for the Ukrainian, signing him in £88.5m deal with Shakhtar Donetsk instead.
That was despite Mudryk dropping numerous hints on social media that he was keen to move to the Gunners.
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The 22-year-old has struggled to adapt to life at Stamford Bridge and is yet to score in seven appearances for the Blues under Graham Potter.
Zinchenko has now revealed that he has spoken with Mudryk about his failed move to Arsenal after meeting up with the winger on international duty with Ukraine ahead of Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against England at Wembley.
"I told him: 'It's gone already, it doesn't matter what you wanted, what the other guys wanted'," Zinchenko told the Daily Mail.
"Now you're a Chelsea player, you signed a long-term contract and you have only one option, only one way: direct and forward."
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Zinchenko added: "Unfortunately he didn't become an Arsenal player – as I wanted personally! - but it's life."
Zinchenko has been one of Arsenal's standout players this season after joining from title rivals Manchester City in the summer.
His performances have helped Arsenal secure an eight-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League, albeit having played one game more.
"Since I arrived, the quality I've seen from everyone including the staff, players, anyone… I said: 'We have everything to achieve big things and we don't have to think about top four'," added Zinchenko.
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"Everything started here," added the Ukrainian, gesturing to his head.
"Before you go to bed, you're just trying to visualise something. Or since you were a kid, you're dreaming about something. Which is good. You have to. Because one day it can happen – everything is possible in this life."
Zinchenko: Arteta is a winner
Zinchenko has continued to thrive under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, who he worked with at City, and says the Spaniard was instrumental in convincing him to join the Gunners.
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"The way he sees football – his vision, his character, his mentality. He's a winner and everyone likes to win… as simple as that," Zinchenko added.
"I said to my circle: 'If one day I'm going to leave City and I'm going to stay in the Premier League, it will be only one manager: Mikel Arteta.'
"That's what I said to him when he called me for the first time in that transfer window."
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While he will have an eye on winning the Premier League title with Arsenal, Zinchenko's immediate focus will be on Ukraine's upcoming clash with England.
The last meeting between the two teams, which came at Euro 2020, now feels like a distant memory - particularly for the Ukrainians in the wake of Russia's invasion of their country.
"It wasn't easy for everyone to carry on, to do what we like the most,” added Zinchenko, explaining his decision to remain in England rather than return to Ukraine.
"In the end, I was thinking: there are two options. You carry on what you're doing and try to help as much as you can... or you're going to give up. So I choose the first one.
"I need to carry on, to represent my country as well as I can, just to make Ukrainian people sometimes smile."
"We can't give up," Zinchenko added. "We need to carry on until we win. That's it."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Football, Transfers, Premier League, Ukraine