Zinchenko: Last Season the Worst of His Career as Arsenal Benched Him

Oleksandr Zinchenko has candidly described last season as the worst of his professional career, detailing the emotional and practical toll of being marginalised at Arsenal while adapting to a rapidly changing left-back landscape. In an updated chapter of his autobiography, he reveals that he started just five Premier League games in 2024-25, despite no prolonged injury troubles, as younger players and new signings moved ahead in the pecking order. He also acknowledges the impact on his family, offering a rare glimpse into the personal side of elite sport.

The 28-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 for around 30 million pounds, faced a combination of fresh competition and tactical shifts that left him frequently among the substitutes. His absence from the early part of the season coincided with the ascension of teenage defender Myles Lewis-Skelly and the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori, who were trusted to anchor the left-back position. Zinchenko describes a season in which he was “basically out of the starting XI altogether, bar a few isolated matches,” highlighting a shift in the dynamic that had once seen him as a core figure under Mikel Arteta.