Mikel Arteta enjoyed plenty of good times with Oleksandr Zinchenko together at Manchester City, and now the two are reunited at Arsenal, as the boss made him his fifth signing of the summer.
He's a player Arteta knows all about, having coached him to the Premier League title in 2018 and 2019 when Pep Guardiola's assistant, and he believes he will help bring a winning mentality to the Emirates.
"Yes, because we are here to win," the boss said. "To win the way we want to play and Alex has both of them. He's got the background, he's got experience of doing that, but as well, he wants a big role.
"He's in the stage of his career now that he's looking for another challenge and we could offer him as a club that challenge, and I could offer him as a coach, that role in the team."
Arteta added that Alex's footballing qualities are just part of the package that convinced him to raid his former club for the transfer, saying he offers much more besides.
"Yes, and first of all the human quality," the boss explains. "Who he is as a person, what he stands for, the strong character that he has, and then the passion that he has for this game.
"It’s something that I will never forget because he was always the first one in training (at City), the first one to get out the balls, the first one to practise, the first one to always demand for more, his level of attention, and decide to play at the highest level and fulfil his potential.
"It’s something, and a quality, that in my opinion for any footballer is something unique."
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