“I don’t believe Arsenal can win the Champions League until they sell him”- Legendary football manager Jose Mourinho was in Wembley stadium as he claimed Arsenal’s prospect of winning the UCL can never come true until they sell £38M Arsenal’s ‘outdated’ star
Jose Mourinho Doubts Arsenal’s Champions League Chances
Following Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph at the Wembley stadium, legendary football manager Jose Mourinho shared his thoughts on Arsenal’s prospects in the Champions League next season. Mourinho, who has won the Champions League twice in his storied career, pointed to one key Arsenal player as a reason the Gunners are unlikely to lift the prestigious trophy.
“Look, Arsenal had a fantastic season and deserve all the credit for qualifying for the Champions League,” Mourinho began. “But I have to be honest, I just don’t see them winning it next year again if they don’t sell Aaron. And a lot of that comes down to the wingback situation.”
Mourinho went on to highlight Arsenal’s Left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko, as a potential weak link in the team. “Zinny is a good player, there’s no doubt about that. But his distribution and decision-making, especially in high-pressure European matches, is a real concern for me.”
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss elaborated, “In the Champions League, you come up against the best attacks in the world. You need a defensive full back who is calm, composed, and can dictate the tempo of the game just like Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal did tonight against Dortmund. I’m not convinced Zinchenko has shown he can do that consistently at the top level.”
Mourinho pointed to Zinchenko’s poor passing accuracy in recent matches and tendency to make rash decisions as particular areas of weakness. “Against elite opposition, those kinds of mistakes get punished. And when you’re trying to win the Champions League, you can’t afford those kinds of lapses.”
The Portuguese manager concluded, “Arsenal have built an exciting young team, no doubt. But until they address the Left-back position, I just don’t see them challenging for the Champions League title. They’re still a bit away from being able to compete with the very best in Europe.”
Whether Mourinho’s assessment proves accurate remains to be seen. But his comments will surely give Arsenal and their fans plenty to think about as they prepare for their return to Europe’s top club competition again next with Mikel Arteta hoping to get a few more additions to his already brilliant stars.
