Eddie Howe is a man that has his eyes on Oleksandr Zinchenko, it would seem. The recent transfer rumours have sent fans into a frenzy questioning whether he will move and expressing their underlying love for the man – with a fan Tweeting, “There’s no need to sell him”, and you can see where he’s coming from. He’s a defender/midfielder that joined Manchester City in 2016 on a mere £1.7 million deal.

The recent rumours do beg the question of whether he’ll leave for Newcastle before the season is up. With Eddie Howe having his eyes on the prize and a massive financial banking, who knows what’s to come. With premier league ticket prices soaring and the competition ramping up, it’s a great time to look at the potential transfers and what it means for the clubs. So, let’s have a closer look at Oleksandr Zinchenko and the potential move.

His Performance Since Joining The Club
Since joining the club in 2016 – Oleksandr has made 105 appearances under the reign of Pep Guardiola. He’s usually played in a left-back position since he first debuted in 2017 against Wolves. Recently, however, Pep Guardiola put Oleksandr into midfield — a position he plays for with his national team of Ukraine — and he put in a stellar performance.

Even though he wasn’t happy with it himself as he didn’t score any goals, Pep Guardiola commented on the performance and noted how relaxed Oleksandr looked in midfield. When questioned on this, Oleksandr simply said the position is nothing new to him as this is his natural position for Ukraine. You could even argue that he played better in midfield than he has ever done in defence.

It’s hard to comment on Oleksandr’s performance this season as so far – he’s only managed to find 56 minutes on the pitch for Premier League games. Although judging from his midfield performance against PSG, it’ll be interesting to see whether Pep Guardiola starts to bring Oleksandr onto the pitch more as a midfielder and whether this would make him fight harder to keep him at the club.

The Transfer Rumours
The transfer rumours are definitely flying this season, and Oleksandr is the most recent rumour to get fans at Manchester City talking. If the rumours are true, Eddie Howe will be looking to bag Oleksandr during the January transfer window, which isn’t too far away.

Realistically, it would do Oleksandr good to move away from City and spread his wings. He has been reluctant to move in the past. In 2018 he turned down an offer from Wolves to fight for his spot at the Etihad Stadium. But was that a wise move? When you look at the time he’s had on the pitch this season, you’d think not.

Since Joao Cancelo took the left-back spot and made it his own, Oleksandr has struggled to get the pitch time he deserves – so perhaps this is the right time for him to spread his wings and see how he does at another club.

What This Would Mean For Newcastle
For Newcastle, it might mean a chance for redemption. The club’s having an appalling season, sitting 20th (last) in the Premier League. You can understand why Oleksandr would be reluctant to leave a titan of a club and head towards one that’s struggling. However, it might also mean he has the chance to join a club that will let him have free reign over what position he plays on the field– and midfield clearly suits the Ukrainian a lot more than left-back and there’s also the chance to be part of the new era at Newcastle.

Oleksandr isn’t the only transfer rumour flying around – but that’s always the way when it gets to this time of year, and the January transfer window looms. One thing is for sure, there will be some big moves to watch out for in January, and Oleksandr could be one of them.