West Ham and Arsenal are ready to battle it out for the signature of Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, according to reports in the English media.
The Ukrainian international is equally capable as both a midfielder and a left-back, and fans on Twitter have been debating whether the Hammers should pay a sizeable sum for a player who can play in multiple positions:
As a CM I’d be willing to go near 40M for him, but if we’re gonna sign him to play primarily as a LB then it doesn’t interest me at all
— ً (@_ghzst) June 6, 2022
£20-£30M easily, a very good LB who can also play on midfield, very solid and could be our LB for the next 5-6 years
— Adam Nunn ⚒🫧 (@adamhammer7261) June 6, 2022
Whatever city want! He’s class.
— Patrick ⚒ #GSBOUT (@PatrickWHUFC) June 6, 2022
30 million
— Brad #TVTTAGTEAM ⚒️ (@BradHellyer1) June 6, 2022
40 million
— Damion Waters (@WatersDamion) June 6, 2022
Whatever they ask
— irish hammer (@irishhammer14) June 6, 2022
If we are prepared to pay 35 mil for augard then we should be prepared to pay atleast the same for zinchenko …. can play rb, lb cdm and cm 🤙 hes a baller and I fear he will join arsenal over us
— TtheHammer92 (@THammer92) June 6, 2022
He’s exactly what we need & id play him CM in a three or a two, he’ll dictate games & that’s what we’ve been missing. He can play next to Rice, in a three with Soucek or as number 10, adaptation is what Moyes loves & he’s a perfect fit! I’d say £30m plus will get him.
— Rob Waldon WHUFC (@RobWaldon) June 6, 2022
It seems as if Zinchenko is being pursued by manager David Moyes ostensibly as an alternative for Aaron Cresswell on the left-hand side of defence. However, he would have been impressed with how the Ukrainian has played in midfield for his country during the recent international fixtures.
Much may depend on where Zinchenko sees himself playing in the future. Arsenal are reportedly prepared to select him in the middle of the park and if that is his preferred role, West Ham may well face an uphill battle in persuading him to move to the London Stadium instead.
