Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has shared what he thought about his manager, Mikel Arteta, when he first met him.
The Ukraine international and the Gunners boss have known each other since their days at Manchester City. They share a strong relationship, and Zinchenko seems to be a big fan of the Spaniard.
Oleksandr Zinchenko praises Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal signed Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, and Mikel Arteta was the one who pushed to complete that deal.
The £158,000-a-week (GiveMeSport) Spaniard had a specific plan for Zinchenko in his Arsenal side. he deployed him in an inverted full-back role last season, and that helped the Gunners become title challengers.
Zinchenko hasn’t had the greatest of seasons this time around, but he is still a hugely important member of Arteta’s squad. The versatile left-back is a big fan of his gaffer as well.
He has now revealed that he knew Arteta would be an ‘amazing’ manager right after he met him for the first time at Manchester City all those years ago.
He told The Athletic: “He’s a winner. It’s his mentality and character off the pitch as well.
“When you know him a bit closer as a person, you can straight away say that he’s quite demanding and he pays attention to a lot of small details.
“I really like his vision, the way he sees football and his mentality. Since day one when I met him, I knew he would be an amazing manager.”
Mikel Arteta has transformed Arsenal
When Mikel Arteta took over the Arsenal job back in 2019, the Gunners were in a mess.
The Emirates was a toxic place to go to, a number of their players were underperforming, and the atmosphere inside the dressing room was not right.
Arteta had his ups and downs in his first few years, but you’d be silly if you didn’t believe he has transformed this Arsenal side into one of the best clubs in Europe.
The Gunners are still very much in the Premier League title race, and with several players returning from injury, there’s every chance Arsenal could go all the way.