3 players most affected by impending Oleksandr Zinchenko arrival

1. Emile Smith Rowe

Regardless of position, Zinchenko will occupy that deeper and central role in the left half-space. His technical quality comes to the fore when he is tucked inside and can help build up play. Zinchenko’s ability and mobility on the ball will help no one more than Emile Smith Rowe.

Starting brilliantly, Smith Rowe’s contributions tapered off as last season progressed. Injuries, Gabriel Martinelli’s form and perhaps questions of where he himself is most effective lessened his impact greatly. Another part of his decreased utility last season was his playstyle.

Smith Rowe is another player of exceptional technical quality. He boasts a deft touch, decent acceleration and a brilliant understanding of space and how to attack it. Unlike Martinelli, he does not have the raw pace and dribbling to take his man one on one before cutting inside and getting a shot off. He does come inside but then seeks to combine with other forwards and the left-sided midfielder before bursting into the box to receive the ball.

With Xhaka starting as the left-sided number eight, Smith Rowe couldn’t combine as much as he wanted. The Swiss international has a wonderful range of passing but can’t make runs and thread the needle into front players as well as Zinchenko can. The Ukrainian will provide the technical security required to retain the ball before sliding it into Smith Rowe.

With Zinchenko feeding him through balls and moving to create space for him, Smith Rowe’s productivity could explode.

Zinchenko will help raise the level of every player in the squad. His ability on the ball is incredible and his mobility will help unlock what an attack that was stagnant at times last season. Hopefully, he isn’t the last signing in an already phenomenal transfer window.