WILLIAM GALLAS has singled out Oleksandr Zinchenko to be dropped as Arsenal closes in on signing Riccardo Calafiori.
The Italian defender is set to join the Gunners squad in the US on their pre-season tour after agreeing on a deal thought to be worth £42million.
The 22-year-old who can play at centre-back or left-back could spell trouble for two players Jakbub Kiwior and Zinchenko to fall Mikel Arteta‘s pecking order.
But Arsenal legend Gallas reckons Zinchenko made a hugely positive early impact upon his move to Arsenal from Manchester City two years ago.
However, his form dropped last season and he now “makes lots of mistakes” after also suffering from a series of injuries.
He said to Gambling Zone: “I think Zinchenko had similar problems when he was at Manchester City.
“If you can remember, I don’t think that he played in that many of their big games because Pep Guardiola thought that his defensive ability was limited.
“With the ball and in possession, he’s a talented player. He is good on the counterattack, but when you ask him to defend and when you put him under pressure, he makes mistakes.
“He has made a lot of mistakes at Arsenal which is why they are looking to improve their defence.
“I think Arsenal’s football has moved on from what Zinchenko offers them.”
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Calafiori put in some impressive displays in Serie A last season, making 30 appearances for Bologna, helping them qualify for the Champions League.
And Gallas believes the addition of Calafiori will make Arsenal’s defence even stronger.
He added: “I did speak to one of my friends who knows a lot about Italian football and asked him what he thought of him,
“My friend played in Italy for several years and watches Serie A every week – he played for Inter Milan and Lazio, he was a great player, but I’m not going to say who – and he told me that Ricardo Calafiori is really, really good.
“He’s young. He has good quality, and he can play as a centre-back or as a left-back.
“I think he would be a good signing for Arsenal because the club doesn’t really have a left back at the moment. There are doubts about that position.”
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