Oleksandr Zinchenko faces difficult situation with Mikel Arteta ready to bend 'non-negotiable' Arsenal rule

Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko faces a difficult decision amid reports the Gunners are interested in signing Joao Cancelo.

According to 90min Mikel Arteta is interested in signing Manchester City defender Cancelo in the summer window.

The 28-year-old left City in January to complete a loan switch to Bayern Munich, and the Bundesliga club have a £60million option to buy in the summer.

However, should the Bavarian giants choose not to sign the Portugal international permanently, he will return to City in the summer where he faces an uncertain future.

Indeed, 90min claim Arsenal are keen on the defender, and Arteta feels he would suit the club’s current style of play.

Zinchenko’s difficult decision

Should Cancelo make the switch to north London in the summer, it would mean Zinchenko is back to fighting for his place, as he had done at City.

Despite a recent dip in form, Zinchenko has been a consistent and reliable presence in the Arsenal line-up, having very much displaced Kieran Tierney as the club’s starting left-back.

However, at City, the Ukrainian often acted as Cancelo’s understudy. Indeed, last term the Portugal international was one of City’s finest assets, netting once and claiming seven assists in his 36 games, while Zinchenko made just ten Premier League starts.

Arteta to bend “non-negotiable” rule

Despite reports Cancelo and Pep Guardiola had a falling out ahead of the full-back’s sudden January departure, the former insisted such claims were a “lie”.

However, the Bayern star admitted in an interview with Portuguese outlet O Jogo, that he and the City boss had disagreed over the player’s game-time, which ended up being the chief reason for his exit.

Cancelo added that while he had a “difficult personality”, he was professional and was not someone who looked to disrespect his teammates and coaches.

Of course, Arteta knows Cancelo well, with the pair having worked together in the past when the Arsenal boss was assistant to Guardiola at City.

And Arteta has always enforced a “non-negotiable approach” to players that have shown alleged attitude issues, having sold Mesut Ozil, Matteo Guendouzi, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the past following disputes.

Upon his arrival at Arsenal in 2019 Arteta said: "There are some non-negotiables.

"The demands we put on the team, the commitment, the energy we put in, that dominance. We are the biggest football club in England, and we have to play a little bit with that arrogance, that belief."

Such words will serve as a warning to Cancelo, should his “difficult personality” get the better of him if an Emirates move materialises.

Topics: Football, Arsenal, Transfers, Mikel Arteta, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo, Pep Guardiola, Premier League, Bayern Munich, Manchester City

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.