Arsenal are reportedly ready to reward Oleksandr Zinchenko with a bumper pay rise in his new long-term contract to ward off potential outside interest.
According to Football Insider, Arsenal’s inverted left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is in line for a bumper pay rise as part of a new long-term deal at the Emirates.
The Gunners have been handing out improved deals to as many of their key stars as possible this year. The North Londoners announced on Friday that Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard had put pen to paper on a new deal with the club to extend his stay until the summer of 2028.
Arsenal’s captain has reportedly become the club’s highest-paid player after being the latest member of the first-team squad to commit his long-term future to the Gunners. In the past 12 months, Gabriel Magalhaes, Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, and Reiss Nelson have all penned new Arsenal contracts, and Oleksandr Zinchenko is the next player who looks set to earn a new contract.
Zinchenko still has three years left to run on his contract after joining on a permanent basis from Manchester City last summer. The Ukraine international has established himself as an important figure in Mikel Arteta’s squad and certainly enjoyed a stellar debut season as the Gunners challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Overall, Zinchenko has made 38 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with one goal and two assists since joining the North London side, who now want to offer him a deal that reflects his status at the club, including a decent wage bump.
And it would be very well-deserved, with the 26-year-old’s ability to play as an inverted full-back one of the biggest reasons why Arsenal are so good in the build-up.
He’s struggled to stay fit recently, but when he has played, he’s been exceptional. While Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Martinelli, and Declan Rice usually steal the headlines, Zinchenko’s positioning and intelligence on the pitch are so integral to this Gunners side.
They certainly missed him when he was injured in crucial late-season matches last term and at the start of the season, but now that he’s back to full fitness and performing at his peak level. He is also a key player off the pitch at the Emirates too, as a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room, which are intangible qualities that often go unnoticed.
