Breaking News: Mikel Arteta has found the next Oleksandr Zinchenko to complete Arsenal’s dream defence

Following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s departure from Mikel Arteta’s squad towards the close of the previous campaign, Arsenal seems willing to trade the former Man City star this summer.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mikel Arteta (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Oleksandr Zinchenko, who saw very little action in the last month of the previous campaign, may soon be completely replaced at Arsenal as Mikel Arteta makes changes to the defence.

In front of David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, and William Saliba formed the cornerstone of the finest defence in the Premier League. However, over the course of the season, Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Jakub Kiwior joined them on the left.

While Tomiyasu secured a new two-year extension in March, Kiwior’s contract expires in 2028, while Zinchenko has just two years left on his current agreement; negotiations for new terms are not believed to be ongoing. As a result, the Ukraine international may depart the team this summer along with left backs Kieran Tierney and Nuno Tavares.

According to TBR, it follows that Arsenal’s consideration of signing Bradley Locko is not surprising. The rumours surface one week after Jorrel Hato, an Ajax youth who was connected to the Emirates, said he would not be leaving the Dutch team.

After a breakthrough season for the French left-back, Locko appears to be the focus of attention right now. The 22-year-old, who joined from Reims, made his debut in the team of the year during his first full season at Brest. The team, who placed third in Ligue 1 behind only Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, will also participate in the Champions League the following season.

Locko started each of their first 33 league games and was virtually in every one of them till the very end. The France under-21 international provided three assists from left back.

Locko may attend the Olympic Games in Paris even though he is not part of Didier Deschamps’ squad for the European Championship. Locko participated in France’s pre-Olympic training camp in late March. After making his under-21 debut late last year, he started a friendly for the under-23s squad against the United States.