Oleksandr Zinchenko snubs Martin Odegaard and names ‘amazing’ star as Arsenal’s most skilful player

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Oleksandr Zinchenko has been heavily criticised over the last year, but he is still one of Arsenal’s most technically gifted players.

Zinchenko has fallen down the pecking order at left-back, with Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber surpassing him, as his defensive frailties have become an issue for Mikel Arteta.

Although he lacks the defensive strength of Ben White on the opposite flank, Zinchenko offers a lot of technical quality in possession, but he has now claimed that there are others in the Arsenal squad even better than him in this regard.

Captain Martin Odegaard would be the instant pick for most people when thinking about Arsenal’s most skilful players, but Zinchenko has overlooked the midfielder for another teammate.

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Oleksandr Zinchenko says Gabriel Jesus is Arsenal’s most skilful player

Speaking to Pro Direct Soccer, Zinchenko was asked who Arsenal’s most skilful player is, and he named striker Gabriel Jesus.

“He’s amazing. First of all he has a Brazilian passport, so he was born with the ball already,” Zinchenko stated of Jesus.

“The things which he is doing on the pitch are amazing.”

Both Jesus and Zinchenko arrived from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, but after both enjoyed incredible starts at Arsenal, the pair are now fighting for their futures.

Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko fighting for Arsenal futures

Jesus and Zinchenko joined an Arsenal side which had finished in fifth place, and helped them instantly raise the level of their performances.

Both players’ technical supremacy helped fire Arsenal to the top of the Premier League in their first season, but the pair faced similar issues as injuries hampered their progress.

Just two years after they arrived, both face uncertain futures, with time running out on their contracts, and the prospects of regular game time at Arsenal becoming slimmer.

Despite their individual qualities, Arsenal have perhaps moved on as a team, with more physically robust players preferred by Arteta, and the pair have been left behind.