Oleksandr Zinchenko shares details of inside joke he shared with Granit Xhaka about Arsenal fans

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Oleksandr Zinchenko has now opened up about a joke that he and former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka once shared.

Oleksandr Zinchenko signed for Arsenal from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, and quickly proved to be something of a revelation at the Emirates Stadium.

The Ukrainian transformed the way in which the left-back role is performed in Mikel Arteta’s system. Rather than pushing forward up the flank in a traditional, overlapping manner, the 27-year-old adopted a more unorthodox inverted role. 

This allowed Zinchenko to drift into the middle of the park, and operate as a kind of auxiliary playmaker for the Gunners. With his technical ability, creativity, and impressive range of passing, he was able to flourish in this role. 

Supporters quickly took the full-back to their hearts. Arsenal fans came up with a song for Zinchenko, which was regularly heard from the stands as he settled into the club.

The defender has now shared his feelings about this chant.

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Oleksandr Zinchenko and Granit Xhaka joked about Arsenal fan chant

Speaking to Hayters TV, Zinchenko described hearing the song from the supporters for the first time. He said: “That was my first start for the club in the Premier League, as well. After 15 minutes, they started to sing this song. I stopped for a minute and I was like, ‘is it actually my name?’

“So Xhaka was joking with me, he said he spent ten years at the club he didn’t get anything, you spent 15 minutes and then you’ve got a song!”

Granit Xhaka was a long-serving player in North London, spending seven seasons with the club before moving on last summer. At times his relationship with the supporters was fractious, but the Swiss midfielder ultimately left the Emirates Stadium as a fan favourite. 

Zinchenko needs to win back love of Arsenal fans

Meanwhile, Zinchenko has seen his stock fall at the club. After a series of defensive errors, he slipped down the pecking order last season, and now faces a tough task in establishing himself as the Gunners’ first choice left-back again.

Arteta is said to have lost faith in Zinchenko, and he will face even greater competition for game time this season, as a fully fit Jurrien Timber will now being vying for his place in the team. 

However, if the 66-cap Ukraine international can get back to his best then he can expect to hear his song coming from the stands again.