In the high-stakes world of Premier League football, career trajectories can pivot on a single decision. Such was the case for one of Manchester City’s most influential players during their historic treble-winning campaign—a player whose football journey could have taken a dramatically different turn had he chosen Arsenal over Pep Guardiola’s rising juggernaut.
The Road to Greatness
When Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived at Manchester City in July 2016 for a modest £1.7 million from FC Ufa, few could have predicted the Ukrainian’s eventual impact at the Etihad Stadium. The then-19-year-old midfielder was immediately loaned to PSV Eindhoven, suggesting he was viewed as a project rather than an immediate first-team prospect. Yet behind this understated acquisition lay a player who would eventually prove instrumental in one of English football’s greatest achievements.
“The transfer to Manchester City happened very quickly,” Zinchenko revealed in a candid interview years after establishing himself as a crucial cog in Guardiola’s machine. “But what many people don’t know is that I was actually in advanced talks with Arsenal before City made their move.”
This revelation offers a fascinating glimpse into the sliding doors moment that could have altered both clubs’ recent histories. Arsenal, then under Arsène Wenger’s stewardship, were seeking technically gifted players to maintain their philosophy of possession-based football. Zinchenko, with his exceptional ball control and versatility, epitomized the profile they coveted.
“I met with Arsenal representatives and was impressed with their vision,” Zinchenko explained. “We were very close to finalizing everything when City expressed their interest. The chance to work under Pep Guardiola, even though it wasn’t guaranteed immediately, was ultimately too compelling to turn down.”
Reinvention Under Guardiola
What makes Zinchenko’s story particularly remarkable is how his career at Manchester City unfolded. Arriving as a central midfielder, his path to first-team prominence came through an unexpected position change. Guardiola, recognizing Zinchenko’s exceptional technical ability, spatial awareness, and intelligence, repurposed him as an inverted left-back—a role that would become crucial to City’s tactical evolution.
“When Pep first suggested I play at left-back, I was hesitant,” Zinchenko admitted. “I had never played there regularly before. But he explained how my skills could be utilized in that position within his system, and he was right.”
This transformation exemplifies Guardiola’s genius—identifying qualities in players that they themselves might not recognize. For Zinchenko, this positional shift was the catalyst that transformed him from a peripheral squad member to an integral part of one of football’s most dominant teams.
By the 2018-19 season, Zinchenko had established himself as a regular starter in a position that became increasingly influential in Guardiola’s tactical approach. Rather than functioning as a traditional full-back, he would often drift into central midfield when City had possession, creating numerical advantages in the middle of the pitch and allowing the team to maintain their suffocating control of games.
“Playing under Pep is like being in a football university,” Zinchenko once remarked. “He sees things three steps ahead of everyone else and makes you understand the game on a completely different level.”
The Historic Treble Campaign
The 2022-23 season represented the pinnacle of Manchester City’s evolution under Guardiola—and Zinchenko’s importance to this well-oiled machine was undeniable. As City pursued an unprecedented treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, Zinchenko’s versatility, technical security, and tactical intelligence made him indispensable.
In the Premier League, where City fended off a formidable challenge from Arsenal to secure their third consecutive title, Zinchenko featured in 15 matches, providing crucial balance to the team’s attacking structure. His ability to invert from left-back into midfield areas helped City maintain numerical superiority in central zones, a key principle of Guardiola’s positional play methodology.
The FA Cup campaign saw Zinchenko deliver perhaps his most memorable performance in the final against Manchester United. In a tactical masterclass, he consistently moved inside to create overloads, leaving United’s midfield overwhelmed as City secured a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium.
But it was in the Champions League—the trophy that had eluded Guardiola throughout his City tenure—where Zinchenko’s journey reached its emotional climax. Having experienced the heartbreak of the 2021 final defeat to Chelsea, the Ukrainian played a crucial role in City’s road to Istanbul, where they would face Inter Milan in the decisive match.
“After everything we’d been through, especially the disappointment two years earlier, lifting that Champions League trophy was an indescribable feeling,” Zinchenko reflected. “To be part of the first Manchester City team to win the European Cup, and to complete the treble—it’s something that will stay with me forever.”
The Arsenal Connection Revisited
The irony of Zinchenko’s career trajectory wasn’t lost on football observers when, just one season after helping City achieve immortality, he finally made the move to Arsenal in July 2023 for a fee of £30 million. By then, he had transformed from the unproven youngster Arsenal nearly signed years earlier into a four-time Premier League champion and treble winner.
“When Arsenal approached me again, it felt like destiny,” Zinchenko said after completing his transfer to the Emirates. “I had almost joined seven years earlier, and now I was finally becoming a Gunner—but as a much more complete player than I would have been back then.”
His arrival at Arsenal, alongside former City teammate Gabriel Jesus, signaled the North London club’s intent to challenge for major honors under Mikel Arteta—himself a disciple of Guardiola’s coaching philosophy. The connections between the clubs had come full circle.
Zinchenko’s reflections on his near-move to Arsenal years earlier reveal how differently his career might have unfolded. “If I had joined Arsenal back then, who knows if I would have developed in the same way? Working with Pep transformed me as a player and as a person. The decision to join City instead of Arsenal shaped everything that followed.”
The Guardiola Effect
Central to understanding Zinchenko’s evolution is appreciating the profound impact Guardiola had on his development. The Spanish manager’s ability to identify and nurture potential has few equals in modern football, and Zinchenko represents one of his most successful reclamation projects.
“Pep gave me confidence when I doubted myself,” Zinchenko has said. “He saw qualities in me that I didn’t know I had and pushed me to maximize them. Working with him daily is like having access to football knowledge nobody else has.”
This relationship exemplifies Guardiola’s talent for player development—taking raw materials and refining them into perfect components for his sophisticated football machine. In Zinchenko’s case, this meant transforming a technically gifted but positionally uncertain midfielder into one of the most tactically astute inverted full-backs in European football.
Former Manchester City teammate İlkay Gündoğan once described Zinchenko as “one of the most intelligent players I’ve shared a pitch with,” noting that “his understanding of space and positioning makes everyone around him better.” This tactical intelligence, cultivated under Guardiola’s guidance, made Zinchenko invaluable during City’s treble-winning campaign.
Beyond the Pitch: Zinchenko’s Leadership
What sometimes gets overlooked in discussions of Zinchenko’s technical and tactical contributions is his immense mental fortitude and leadership qualities. These attributes took on particular significance during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when he became an eloquent and passionate advocate for his homeland.
Despite the psychological burden of witnessing his country under attack, Zinchenko channeled his emotions into inspirational performances on the pitch. His resilience during this period earned him even greater respect from teammates and opponents alike.
“Football became both an escape and a platform,” Zinchenko explained. “Every time I stepped onto the field wearing the City shirt, I felt I was representing not just the club but my entire country. That responsibility pushed me to reach levels I hadn’t before.”
This strength of character was evident throughout City’s treble-winning season, with Zinchenko often rallying his teammates during difficult moments. His passionate celebrations after crucial victories became iconic images of City’s historic campaign.
Tactical Innovation: Redefining the Full-Back Position
Zinchenko’s evolution under Guardiola represents more than just an individual success story—it embodies a broader tactical revolution in how the full-back position is conceptualized in modern football. The Ukrainian became the prototype for the “inverted full-back” that has since been widely adopted across elite European football.
Unlike traditional full-backs who provide width and overlapping runs, Zinchenko would frequently move inside to operate as an additional midfielder when City had possession. This created several strategic advantages: it allowed City to dominate central areas with numerical superiority, provided stability against counter-attacks, and created space for more attack-minded players to exploit wide areas.
Football analyst Michael Cox described Zinchenko’s role as “tactically revolutionary,” explaining that “he helped redefine positional play in the Premier League by showing how a nominal defender could function essentially as a midfielder without compromising defensive solidity.”
This tactical innovation was particularly crucial during the treble-winning campaign when City faced sophisticated opponents who had studied their patterns of play for years. Zinchenko’s positional fluidity provided an element of unpredictability that repeatedly unbalanced even the most well-organized defenses.
The Legacy of a Decision
As Zinchenko reflects on his career, the decision to choose Manchester City over Arsenal stands as the pivotal moment that shaped everything that followed. Had he opted for North London in 2016, he might have developed into a completely different player under Wenger’s guidance—still technically accomplished, but perhaps without the tactical sophistication instilled by Guardiola.
“I sometimes think about that alternative timeline,” Zinchenko admitted. “Arsenal is a great club with an amazing history, but choosing City gave me the opportunity to be part of football history. Winning the treble is something only a handful of players have experienced.”
For Manchester City, securing Zinchenko’s signature represented one of their shrewdest pieces of business. For less than £2 million, they acquired a player who would be instrumental in their greatest achievement—a bargain that highlights the club’s sophisticated recruitment strategy during the Guardiola era.
The story also illuminates how certain players become defined by their associations with particular managers. Just as Xavi and Iniesta are inseparable from Guardiola’s Barcelona legacy, Zinchenko’s career at City will forever be linked to the Spanish manager’s vision and methodology.
New Beginnings at Arsenal
When Zinchenko finally did make his way to Arsenal, he arrived as a fundamentally different player than the one they had pursued years earlier. The raw potential had been refined into elite-level quality, with the added benefit of understanding what it takes to win at the highest level.
His transfer to Arsenal, alongside Jesus, injected championship DNA into a team desperate to return to English football’s summit. Under Arteta—himself schooled in Guardiola’s philosophy—Zinchenko has been tasked with transferring the winning culture from the Etihad to the Emirates.
“Coming to Arsenal wasn’t just about a new challenge for me,” Zinchenko explained. “It was about bringing everything I’d learned at City—the standards, the tactical understanding, the mentality—to help Arsenal reach that same level.”
This transfer of knowledge represents another layer of Zinchenko’s legacy: the dissemination of Guardiola’s methods throughout the Premier League. As more of his disciples take managerial positions and his players move to other clubs, the tactical innovations pioneered at City continue to influence English football more broadly.
Conclusion: The Road Less Traveled
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s journey from almost-Arsenal player to Manchester City treble winner to actual Arsenal player encapsulates the beautiful unpredictability of football careers. One decision in 2016 set him on a path to footballing immortality, demonstrating how seemingly small choices can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Zinchenko reflected philosophically when asked about his career trajectory. “The path wasn’t always easy—there were loans, position changes, doubts—but every challenge led me to that night in Istanbul, lifting the Champions League trophy and completing the treble.”
His story serves as a powerful reminder that in football, as in life, timing and context often determine success as much as raw talent. Had Zinchenko joined Arsenal in 2016, he would have arrived at a club entering a period of transition rather than one on the cusp of unprecedented dominance.
Instead, he found himself at the perfect club at the perfect time, under a manager uniquely capable of maximizing his specific attributes. The result was a career transformation few could have predicted—from promising Ukrainian midfielder to integral component of one of English football’s greatest-ever teams.
As Zinchenko continues his career at Arsenal, his legacy at Manchester City remains secure. He will forever be remembered as the player who almost chose a different path but instead helped guide the club to the promised land of a historic treble—cementing his place in football history through a combination of talent, adaptability, and the courage to embrace unexpected opportunities.
The story of the treble-winner who nearly became a Gunner stands as testament to football’s glorious unpredictability and the life-changing power of a single decision.
