Arsenal fielded interest in Oleksandr Zinchenko in the January transfer window, but a move for the left-back ultimately didn’t materialise.
Whilst much of the focus on Arsenal’s January transfer business has been on the lack of additions to the squad, it’s also true that the Gunners had a very quiet window in terms of outgoings.
Looking exclusively at senior players, Marquinhos is the only player to leave on loan or a permanent transfer this month, joining Cruzeiro for the remainder of 2025. Youth players Brian Okonkwo and Maldini Kacurri left as well, both on lower-league loans.
Arsenal seemingly only had two senior players with any chance of leaving in January, and they were Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Tierney did end up reaching a pre-contract agreement to return to former club Celtic, but in light of his positive recent performances, Arsenal decided not to let him make that move six months early.
Given the failure to sign a winger, it’s possible Tierney will be needed as cover out wide as well as at left-back.
With Tierney staying, the door was seemingly open for Zinchenko to leave. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori are Mikel Arteta’s favoured left-back options anyway, and Jakub Kiwior, Jurrien Timber, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all capable of filling in as well as Tierney.
Yet James McNicholas reports for The Athletic that the problem was that Arsenal only fielded interest in a loan deal. Borussia Dortmund were after Zinchenko, but only on a temporary basis.
The Gunners wanted a permanent deal, if anything, so they ultimately decided to block Zinchenko’s exit.