One former Arsenal player is now a free agent after a disastrous two-week spell at his ex-club
Former Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has wished Ajax all the best after his extremely short spell at the club came to an end.
The left-back joined Ajax during the January transfer window after his season-long loan with Nottingham Forest was brought to an early end. The defender signed on with the Eredivisie side until the end of the season but played only two games.
The 29-year-old suffered a season-ending knee injury just a couple minutes into his home debut in February. It meant, just two weeks after leaving the Gunners for Ajax, Zinchenko’s season was over.
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“Devastated. Still cannot believe what happened,” the former Man City man said at the time. “Since day one at this amazing football club and people around me, I started to feel happy and found my smile back again on the grass.
“From the deepest place in my heart I feel really sorry and guilty in front of the club but unfortunately we cannot keep this situations under control. I will accept and will go through this challenge alongside with my biggest achievement in my life – family. I will be back soon and stronger.”
Zinchenko required surgery to his left knee and is currently without a club while he recovers and attempts to get back to full fitness. The Ukraine international posted a goodbye message on Instagram earlier this week, saying: “I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Ajax for the warm welcome and support I received during my unfortunately short two weeks at the club.
“From the bottom of my heart I wish all the best to everyone at club and around.”
Zinchenko joined Arsenal from Man City in a £30million plus add-ons deal in July 2022 and went on to make 91 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals.
He produced a number of memorable moments in north London, scoring an important goal in a 4-2 win at Aston Villa in February 2023 and netting an exquisite half-volley against Burnley the following campaign.
Zinchenko’s final Arsenal appearance came against Southampton on the final day of the 2024/25 season. He then moved to Forest on loan last September after not featuring in the squad in each of the Gunners’ first three Premier League matches in 2025/26, with both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori preferred at left-back.
