"He's desperate for the opportunity" - Arsenal star wants Mikel Arteta to play him in a new position

Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is eager to feature in midfield for his new club, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Zinchenko, 25, joined the north London outfit from Manchester City for an initial £30 million earlier this summer, penning a four-year deal. Since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, he has been a prominent first-team name in Mikel Arteta's four-man defense.

A versatile player adept at operating in multiple roles, Zinchenko has started four Premier League matches on the left flank behind Gabriel Martinelli. However, with Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny out with injuries, the Ukrainian is expected to get a few minutes in midfield.

Speaking on Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that Zinchenko longs to play in midfield for Arsenal after struggling to establish himself in the center of the park at Manchester City. He said:

"I think that they have no problems with using Zinchenko in that role. He's desperate for the opportunity to play there."

He added:

"We know that in his latter days at Manchester City, he was pushing for a midfield role permanently and just wasn't going to get it."

According to GOAL, Elneny might be out until January next year with a hamstring injury. However, Partey is expected to return to action this week after recovering from a thigh injury. In their absence, Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga deputized in the Gunners' midfield.

To cope with Elneny's absence, Zinchenko is expected to be deployed as a left-sided central midfielder with Kieran Tierney slotting in at left-back. If push comes to a shove, new signing Fabio Vieira is also an option in the midfield double-pivot for the north London outfit.

Arsenal are scheduled to next face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in a Premier League contest on Sunday (September 18).

Noel Whelan backs Arsenal to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has tipped Arsenal to complete a move for Douglas Luiz, who is in the final year of his contract. The 24-year-old midfielder was subject to multiple deadline day bids from Mikel Arteta's side but Aston Villa refused to negotiate.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

"When a player is running down their contract, any club would rather get some money into the club than lose their player on a free. That is for sure."

He added:

"If the two clubs are still talking and are still interested, it makes more sense for everybody to do a deal in January. Villa may feel they can let Luiz leave knowing that they have Dendoncker."