The new Zinchenko must never start for Arsenal again

When Mikel Arteta first arrived at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal were in total disarray. Unai Emery had reduced this great club to one that was barely recognisable.

He walked into a team that had Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi at the back, a team with Calum Chambers at full-back. David Luiz was even in the squad.

Well, fast forward seven years and the squad is now remarkably different. Sure, there are still problems for Arteta to iron out, but there is a reason their squad depth has been celebrated as the best in the land.

No Gabriel or William Saliba? No bother, we’ll just call upon Cristian Mosquera instead. No Jurrien Timber? Ben White is there. No Martin Zubimendi? Well, as it happens, Myles Lewis-Skelly is pretty handy in that central role.

That said, while Emery did struggle, the attack has not actually developed much since he left. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are both playing prominent roles, although to different standards.

Fortunately, Arsenal’s attack returned to form on Saturday and Saka, the man who was given his first-team debut by Emery, was at the heart of it.

How Arsenal’s forward line returned to form

Since being handed his debut by Emery, Saka has played a colossal amount of football. Only four players in Premier League history have played more games in England’s top-flight before the age of 23.

On that basis, it’s hardly been a surprise that injuries are beginning to catch up with the winger. He has spent much of the last year battling with fitness and it’s affected his form.

Indeed, before he found the net on Saturday, he had only scored two goals since December. This was not the Saka that Arsenal fans had grown to love.

Yet, he was back in the groove and so were Arsenal on Saturday, dispatching Fulham 3-0. It was perhaps no surprise that the club’s best attacking performance in weeks came with their number 7 back in the team.

The weekend’s victory signified a first match in nine games since they had last scored two or more goals in a game. Arsenal’s form has been awful by their high standards but the momentum is back with the Gunners now in the bid to win the Premier League title.

Saka assisted Viktor Gyokeres with a delightful piece of play to open the scoring before the duo linked up for the second. Gyokeres was the supply line this time, steering play into the Arsenal winger who slammed the ball past Bernd Leno.

This was Saka’s best performance of the season. It was also the Swede’s finest display since arriving from Sporting last summer.

Combine that with Leandro Trossard’s impressive outing and it looks like it’s all coming together again. The Belgian registered the assist for the third, Gyokeres’ second, and completed all six of his dribbles, the most he has completed in a single Premier League game.

The form of that trio, however, is certainly bad news for a few in the team.

Arsenal’s new Zinchenko should not start again after Fulham

Last summer, Arsenal took the decision to send Oleksandr Zinchenko out on loan to Nottingham Forest. However, after struggling for regular minutes during a rocky old campaign for the Tricky Trees, the agreement was cut short over the winter.

The Gunners tore up his contract and he was allowed to join Ajax on a free transfer.

The full-back enjoyed a topsy-turvy time at the Emirates. Signed from Manchester City, he was a revelation when he first arrived. He completely revolutionised how Arsenal were able to play. His technical security in possession was second to none in the squad and he offered so much in the build-up by inverting from left-back into midfield areas.

Yet, as this club progressed and developed, it did not take long for the Ukrainian to be cast aside. He was suspect defensively, could not stay fit and was eventually ousted in favour of the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly.

In the present day, you could argue the same is happening to Gabriel Jesus. Signed for £45m, he arrived in the same window as Zinchenko from Man City. Like Zinchenko, he revolutionised this Arsenal team.

He looked like the missing piece of the puzzle. Arsenal had dangerous wingers but they needed a dynamic forward. Jesus looked like that.

In his first nine league games, the Brazilian scored five times and also supplied three assists. He was full of flair, full of trickery and knew where the net was.

Yet, as it did with Zinchenko, poor performances and injuries have caught up with him now. He missed much of 2025 with an ACL injury and while he did return with a flourish, scoring twice against Inter Milan at the San Siro, his performances have been waning.

Jesus has now not scored in his last nine matches. The last time he found the net was in the middle of February against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

Since then, the club’s number 9 has started just two more games, both in the FA Cup. It speaks volumes that the Brazil international has not been trusted to start from the off in the league.

His display against Fulham off the bench on Saturday showed precisely why he isn’t in the starting lineup.

Jesus was introduced for Gyokeres in the 64th minute and really struggled. He completed just one pass and was caught offside on two occasions. He did not have a shot and managed only six touches.

The game may well have already been won but it was alarming just how big the difference in quality was between him and Gyokeres. Like Zinchenko, it’s time for Arteta to cast him aside permanently in the summer.