Nottingham Forest are seriously considering terminating Oleksandr Zinchenko’s loan spell from Arsenal midway through the season, according to BBC Sport.
Ukrainian international, who arrived at the City Ground in search of regular minutes, has struggled to make the desired impact, leading club officials to debate whether an early exit may be the best solution for all parties.
Zinchenko, once an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad and later a key figure under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, has seen his form and influence dip significantly over the past year.
A loan move that has not gone to plan
Forest brought him in with the hope that his versatility, capable of operating at left-back, inverted full-back, or central midfield, would strengthen the squad. However, the move has not yielded the expected results.
The Ukrainian has made just 354 minutes of Premier League appearances so far this season, rarely featuring in a settled role and failing to secure a consistent starting spot.
With Forest battling for stability in their fight to avoid relegation, manager Sean Dyche and the club hierarchy are exploring ways to reshape the squad and Zinchenko’s underwhelming impact has placed him on the list of potential departures.
Arsenal cannot accommodate a return
Even if Forest decide to terminate the loan, a return to Arsenal is far from straightforward.
The Gunners’ squad for the second half of the season is already full, making Zinchenko’s reintegration structurally difficult.
Moreover, Arsenal have strengthened heavily in the left-back department. Riccardo Calafiori has impressed this season for the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Myles Lewis-Skelly has emerged as a promising option for the future, and Piero Hincapié, although naturally a centre-back, has also been deployed on the left with success.
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