Four players who played for both Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk, including Arteta flop and cult hero

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Arsenal have faced Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on several occasions in the Champions League, and have some shared connections.

Shakhtar have been a constant presence in the Champions League, and have produced several top-class players who would go on to play in the Premier League.

Arsenal and Shakhtar saw their relationship strained during the transfer of Mykhaylo Mudryk, who ended up moving to Chelsea instead.

Four players have played for both Arsenal and Shakhtar over the years, with some proving popular whilst others disappointed at the Emirates Stadium.

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Eduardo Da Silva

Croatian striker Eduardo Da Silva quickly became popular after joining Arsenal from Dinamo Zagreb in 2007.

Eduardo was well on his way to firing Arsene Wenger’s– side to the title, but he suffered a brutal leg-break in 2008, and he never found his best form after.

The Brazilian-born attacker then joined Shakhtar in 2010, and scored twice against Arsenal in the Champions League.

Eduardo was a cult hero at Arsenal, who is fondly remembered to this day, whilst he also enjoyed two spells at Shakhtar.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was impressive at Shakhtar before he moved to Borussia Dortmund, where he was so good that Jose Mourinho brought him to Manchester United.

Mkhitaryan then joined Arsenal in a swap deal with Alexis Sanchez, but whilst he did show flashes of brilliance, he was disappointing overall.

The Armenian is now thriving with Italian Champions Inter Milan, and helped them reach a Champions League final in between Serie A titles.

Willian

Willian was one of Europe’s biggest talents at Shakhtar, before he embarked on a big-money move to Anzhi Makachkala in 2013.

He then joined Chelsea a year later, where he enjoyed some success before making a shock move to Arsenal in Arteta’s first transfer window.

Willian showed none of the speed or flair he had at Shakhtar and Chelsea, and he terminated his contract after just one year at the Emirates.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Oleksandr Zinchenko came through the academy at Shakhtar, but found his game time limited despite being one of their biggest talents.

He then ran his contract down before moving to Russian side Ufa, which then earned him a move to Manchester City.

Arteta then reunited with Zinchenko at Arsenal, and despite his controversial exit from Shakhtar, he is still fond of the Ukrainian club.