Arsenal continue their tour of the United States, with the Premier League giants taking on MLS side Orlando City SC on Wednesday with the aim of maintaining their lovely pre-season run.
Mikel Arteta named an out-of-favor starting eleven for the first half, with the likes of Pablo Mari, Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Nuno Tavares kicking things off. Despite taking an early lead, the north London giants saw their foothold on the game during the first 45 minutes slowly slip away as Tavares and Mari, in particular, struggled at the back.
And unfortunately for the Portuguese left-back, the signing that will likely spell the end for Nuno this season was at the stadium watching the 22-year-old's misfortunes. That man was none other than Oleksandr Zinchenko who was caught on camera alongside technical director Edu at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
After missing out on Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez, Arteta's side swiftly shifted focus to the former Manchester City ace and wrapped up a deal for the 25-year-old. While the likes of Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the deal was done and dusted, many fans were wondering when the versatile Ukrainian would be unveiled by the Gunners given how long the club typically take to announce new signings.
However, Arsenal look keen on wasting no time as their latest summer acquisition was invited to the game, where he took selfies with the fans, and will likely be unveiled in time for their upcoming showdown with Chelsea in the Florida Cup final this weekend.
Zinchenko in Arsenal kit in Orlando pic.twitter.com/syirmZ1JjO
— Kachmaz (@Arsenalmaan) July 20, 2022
New signing Oleksandr Zinchenko sat with Arsenal technical director Edu to watch the 3-1 win over Orlando City. #Arsenal #AFC pic.twitter.com/oRkwWLR192
— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) July 21, 2022
Edu Gaspar & imminent new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko pose with an Arsenal fan at the Exploria Stadium tonight. [@BazTastic77] #afc pic.twitter.com/GfRyxB4H8e
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 21, 2022
Edu and Oleksandr Zinchenko take their seats for tonight's game. Final regulatory processes taking place to complete the deal imminently.
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) July 21, 2022
Pic via @aBergsEyeView pic.twitter.com/kFsXpu4Oq1
Arsenal's new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko here with Edu following the game in the US. Zinchenko signed the contract on Wednesday afternoon and this pic seems an official announcement. #AFC @aBergsEyeView pic.twitter.com/9mvn5vrUhH
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2022
— Stefan Hertin (@hertan001) July 21, 2022
As for the players on the pitch, they marched to a 3-1 victory, stretching their pre-season winning run to four games. The second half brought a host of changes, with the manager introducing a star-studded lineup straight after the break. Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson got on the scoresheet, with Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard impressing after coming on.
