Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was desperate to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko once upon a time, it has been revealed.
Sandor Varga, an agent who has close contact with the experienced French manager, recently discussed Wenger and his plans at Arsenal, and was also quick to point out one of his rueful, near misses in the recent years.
Varga told Sport-Express that when Zinchenko was only 17 and plying his trade with FC Ufa in Russia, Wenger insisted he ‘needed’ to sign him.
When Zinchenko was 17, Arsène called me and asked me about him. Shakhtar beat Arsenal in the UEFA Youth League, Wenger saw 20 minutes of him and said ‘I need this guy’.
Zinchenko is now a fully established Ukraine international and as a result of some injury troubles at the Etihad Stadium of late, he has been playing as something of a utility man under Pep Guardiola.
The young midfielder joined City for a mere sum of around £2m, presumably making the near miss all the more frustrating for Wenger and his team at Arsenal from the years prior.
He asked me to transfer Zinchenko, and wanted him for the first-team straight away, not the reserves, but certain circumstances interfered.
There was a lot of talk regarding his move from (Shakhtar) Donetsk to Russia. It’s a shame. He lost five years of his career before moving to the Premier League.
Zinchenko, 21, has started two games in the Premier League this season.
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