Why Everton must go all out for Oleksandr Zinchenko in January
Oleksandr Zinchenko may be regretting snubbing a chance to join Premier League new boys Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer after he was once again left out of Manchester City’s squad for the Champions League tie with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Manchester City eased to a 3-0 win at the Metalist Stadium to move to the top of Group F but Oleksandr Zinchenko couldn’t get a chance to play against his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk.
As per a report from the Sky Sports, a £16million deal was agreed between Manchester City and Wolves before Zinchenko turned down the transfer.
An attacking midfielder by trade, the young Ukrainian was deployed at left-back last season because of injuries to Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph but he has failed to rack up the minutes this campaign following the former’s return to fitness.
Now that Zinchenko is out of favour at the Etihad, Everton should make a move for him in January.
Zinchenko’s prospects of playing regular football this season have not gone according to the plans and it only gives a glimpse of his future under Pep Guardiola. Everton though, would do well to offer him an escape route when the transfer window re-opens.
Everton have made a decent start to the season under their new coach Marco Silva and won 2-0 vs Crystal Palace last weekend. But the Toffees need more depth in their squad, especially in the midfield, if they are to stamp their authority this season.
Truth be told, Silva needs an extra creative player to back up the likes of the Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
In that case, Zinchenko would fit the bill perfectly at the Goodison Park. The 21-year-old is one of the most promising young attacking midfielders across Europe. He is a versatile player and can play in multiple positions for the team.
The Ukrainian is a dynamic player who has the vision, creativity and firepower of a central attacking midfielder. Zinchenko can also break the play with crucial interceptions and can craft moves from a deeper position. He has an excellent technique and has the ability to fire shots from long-range.
An intelligent player, Zinchenko would add energy and creativity to Everton’s play in the final third, and also add depth to the squad. His ability to fill in at left-back would only make Zinchenko an even more enticing addition for the Merseysiders.
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All in all, Everton would bag a coup if they manage to land Zinchenko in January.