Mikel Arteta brought Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Man City to Arsenal (Image: Getty)
The double swoop that took and from the Etihad to the Emirates in 2022 saw commended and questioned.
That season, the Gunners would go on to run City close for the title, finishing five points behind ‘s side despite topping the table for the majority of the campaign.
Jesus scored 11 league goals in 2022/23 and nearly helped to defeat his former employers, while Zinchenko was also a regular fixture in the side. must have felt confident that ‘s £77million investment would prove shrewd business in the years to come.
But that was as good as it got for the duo who traded Manchester for north London. Even Jesus’ best season for is not as prolific as his worst season at City, and although he found himself amongst the goals over the festive period, a suspected ACL rupture has banished him back to the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Jesus was shoved down the pecking order when they signed in the summer of 2023. And he is set to go down again, if not this month then at the end of the season, with the Gunners rumoured to be eyeing up another new striker.
Zinchenko’s drop-off has been similarly dramatic. have signed a host of rival left-backs since splashing on the Ukrainian, who has played just 237 minutes this season.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have struggled to live up to their £77m billing (Image: Getty)
And now Arteta is seemingly ready to admit defeat. According to , Borussia Dortmund have held concrete talks with over taking Zinchenko on an initial loan deal this month.
The arrangement would reportedly include an option-to-buy clause worth – or just over half the amount City banked when flogging him to their rivals two-and-a-half years ago. The Gunners are said to be open to doing business, with Jurrien Timber and both capable of filling in on the left-hand side of defence.
Jesus will seemingly stick around for a while longer, but even if he recovers in time for the summer window, may still struggle to recoup the it took to sign him, given he will only have two years left on his contract and has not hit double figures in either of his last two seasons.
Although it seemed like a major coup at the time, the Gunners got the short end of the stick and they are set to pay the price.