Oleksandr Zinchenko sends emotional farewell message with Arsenal exit looming
Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has taken to social media to share an emotional post, as the Premier League season draws to a close.
The Ukrainian has played 14 league games during the 2024/25 campaign, helping the Gunners to a third successive second-placed finish.
Mikel Arteta’s side were unable to lay down a real challenge to league winners Liverpool, with the Reds clinching the title back in April.
Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League for next season, with Declan Rice’s 55th-minute winner giving them a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
Zinchenko set for Arsenal departure
At the start of the month (3 May), Football Insider exclusively revealed that Zinchenko is likely to leave Arsenal this summer, with Borussia Dortmund holding an interest in the full-back.
The 28-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates and after starting just four league games this season, may look for a new challenge abroad.
| Games | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
However, the Ukrainian international took to social media to send a message to one of his former team-mates, as Kevin De Bruyne played his final Manchester City game at the Etihad.
The Belgian international played alongside Zinchenko in City colours for five seasons, with the pair picking up four Premier League titles together.
The now Arsenal defender posted a photo on his Instagram story (20 May) which showed him watching De Bruyne’s farewell ceremony at home, with the caption: “What a legend @kevindebruyne.”
Zinchenko falls foul of Lewis-Skelly rise
Football Insider Verdict
In the first half of the season, Zinchenko was already struggling for minutes under Arteta, with the Spanish manager seeming not to trust the left-back in big games.
In fact it was as early as January when it was first suggested that Arsenal would be open to letting Zinchenko leave.
The situation has now become even bleaker for the former City defender, with Myles Lewis Skelly’s brilliant performances in the Arsenal side pushing him even further away from a starting spot.
Lewis Skelly has been one of the revelations of the season, and the 18-year-old looks completely at home at the elite level.
His ball-carrying prowess is exceptional, and the full-back often begins attacks for the Gunners by driving forward with his strength and power.
It would not be a surprise to see the defender nail down a starting spot in the Arsenal side, and keep hold of it for years to come.