Former Arsenal and Spurs defender, William Gallas has taken a swipe at Oleksandr Zinchenko during his time at Arsenal. The former Arsenal defender has even dubbed him as a defensive ‘liability’, with the Gunners closing in on completing an agreement for Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori.
The Italy international, Calafiori, is expected to complete his Arsenal medical, according to Fabrizio Romano and will soon fly out to the US to join Mikel Arteta’s squad for their pre-season tour. This imminent arrival will surely throw Zinchenko’s future into question.
Gallas on Zinchenko
Zinchenko made a permanent move to Arsenal from Manchester City last season. After initially enjoying his new spell with the Gunners, he gradually began losing his credibility as a first team player. Takehiro Tomiyasu, after returning from an injury, operated as a makeshift leftback for the rest of the season.
While Zinchenko has been praised for his abilities in possession, Gallas is not so convinced about the defending element in his game – leading to questions as to why Pep Guardiola did not seem trust him during their time together at City.
Arteta and Guardiola are said to share a similar reason to bench the Ukraine national. While he may have excellent control over the ball, his occasional defensive errors came back to haunt him. He is perfectly able to contribute to the offensive plays but he is unable to properly track back or compensate for the dangerous openings created simultaneously.
The same was reiterated by Gallas in his statement where he deduced that this exact reason tempted Arsenal to look for a reassurance at the backline. The former Gunner feels the club’s playstyle has gone to a point where Zinchenko’s presence makes no difference. He pointed out that the evolution of football dictates new expectations of defenders, particularly full-backs, who are now expected to contribute to midfield play as well.
Calafiori to join Arsenal
Weeks of transfer negotiations will finally bear fruit as Calafiori looks ready to join Arsenal in the next few days. Bologna will get a whopping £42m for the Euro 2024 star. The defender is expected to board a flight to London to complete his medical. Arsenal deflected competition for his signature from teams like Juventus and Chelsea.
Calafiori has been identified by Mikel Arteta as a key target this summer and central to his desire to ‘upgrade everything’. Yet again, the Gunners dream of finally beating Manchester City to the Premier League crown. The defender played a key role in the Euros with his assist to Zaccagni being the most eye-catching performance in the tournament. He was pivotal to helping Bologna qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 60 years. He was earlier expected to reunite with Thiago Motta at Juventus before Arsenal pipped the Bianconeri to his services.
Calafiori will not be present in the preseason match against Manchester United but will join his new teammates soon after. Both the teams will naturally not be at their full strengths. Arteta and Erik Ten Hag will be playing unbalanced sides to try new tactics and players.
It will be intriguing to see what changes Arteta makes defensively for the new season. Calafiori is capable of playing as both a left back and a centre-back. He is expected to strengthen Arsenal’s backline and bring in a much-needed extra level of depth. But he is very young and the Premier League is one of the hardest leagues in world football. Playing for a top tier Premier League side always brings a lot of attention and criticism, especially from the media.
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