Oleksandr Zinchenko insists he holds no grudge against after his international teammate snubbed a January move to Arsenal.
in an attempt to secure the services of one of European football’s most highly-rated young forwards.
Mudryk had made no secret of his desire to join the Premier League leaders with a series of less than cryptic social media posts, to north .
As events transpired, Arsenal were unable to agree a fee with Shakhtar Donetsk and their refusal to meet the Ukrainain club’s valuation allowed and Todd Boehly an opportunity to swoop.
With Chelsea happy to cede to Skakhtar’s demands, Mudryk found himself with no option but to sign for Chelsea instead, much to Zinchenko’s disappointment.
He told the : ‘I said to him: “It’s gone already, it doesn’t matter what you wanted, what the other guys wanted”.
‘Now you’re a Chelsea player, you signed a long-term contract and you have only one option, only one way: direct and forward.’
‘Unfortunately he didn’t become an Arsenal player – as I wanted personally! – but it’s life.’
Arsenal reacted to Mudryk’s snub by recruiting Leandro Trossard instead, a decision which has reaped instant dividends, while the 22-year-old has found adapting to the Premier League a far from straightforward task.
After an eye-catching debut against Liverpool, his subsequent six appearances have yielded a solitary assist while he has struggled to nail down a place in Graham Potter’s constantly changing first XI.
Zinchenko and Arsenal, meanwhile, continue to go from strength to strength as they progress with their relentless march towards a first Premier League title in approaching 20 years.
The summer recruit from Manchester City has been an essential component in a side that has married steel with a creative flair that had been absent from of Mikel Arteta’s tenure prior to this season.
Zinchenko’s technical ability and eagerness to dictate play from his customary left-back position has been central to the rapid progress Arsenal have made since his arrival and he credits Arteta, who he worked with at City, for helping shape his career.
‘I remember when Mikel was leaving City (in 2019),’ Zinchenko said. ‘I didn’t hold my emotions. I couldn’t because this guy was so special to me.
‘He taught me a lot As a human being he was incredible and the way he was working with us young players after every single training session, the advice he was giving everyone, was something incredibly important for me.’
Asked what makes Arteta so special, he added: ‘The way he sees football – his vision, his character, his mentality. He’s a winner and everyone likes to win… as simple as that.
‘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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