Viktor Tsygankov’s breakout season at Girona brought goals, assists and lightsaber celebrations… but who is Ukraine’s Star Wars-loving star attracting interest from Arsenal?
It takes a lot to stand out as one of LaLiga’s breakout stars in the same year that a certain Jude Bellingham arrives on Spanish shores and devours everything in his path.
But in the run-up to the European Championship, that is exactly what Viktor Tsygankov from Girona has done.
Tsygankov emerged from Dynamo Kyiv as an 18-year-old when he broke into the first team and made his Champions League triumph, and for many in Ukraine he has long been a figure of great excitement.
‘Tsygankov was ready for the first team last year. He is cut from the same cloth as Andriy Shevchenko,” said Dynamo Kyiv president Ihor Surkis, as reported in a UEFA Weekly Wonderkids entry in 2016.
‘It’s so rare to see such maturity in a player of his age. Players like him love football more than anything – and it shows on the pitch.”
Viktor Tsygankov had a breakout season this season with eight goals and seven assists
The Ukrainian star has recently been linked with moves to Arsenal, AC Milan and Tottenham
As a teenager, he was compared to Ukrainian national icon Andriy Shevchenko by the president of Dynamo Kiev
To contextualize how high that praise is, Shevchenko is Ukraine’s greatest sporting national hero, having won everything with AC Milan – including the Ballon d’Or – and is his country’s record goalscorer, top scorer and former manager. It’s like we all said Kylian Mbappé was the next Thierry Henry.
Now, eight years later, he is starting to show what a frightening prospect he can still be, which is why clubs like Arsenal are being linked with his services.
Together with national teammate Artem Dovbyk, the pair propelled Michel’s upstarts into the top four and their first Champions League finish, and Europe’s elite are clearly taking note.
The fact that Arsenal are being linked with a move for Tsygankov is not really a surprise, even if his name is not well known to many.
The left-footed winger can play either left or right – and we all know how important fluidity is in Mikel Arteta’s setup – and favors his left-foot weapon, cutting in and dropping the shoulder for a brutal impact.
In that sense, he is similar to Bukayo Saka in terms of playing style; a willingness and confidence to dazzle defenders with his footwork, and a preference for cutting down the right flank and cutting the ball back for a neat finish in the penalty area.
Think about it: how many times have we seen the England star break free down the right to beat an onrushing Martin Odegaard or Kai Havertz? Tsygankov has proven over the past eighteen months in Spain that he is at his best here.
Yet there is also an element of Gabriel Martinelli in his playing. Where the Brazilian has blistering speed and energy, Tsygankov is a hair slower but just as direct, bursting through defensive lines as a lethal option on the counter.
Artem Dovbyk finished as LaLiga’s top scorer as he and Tsygankov fired Girona into the Champions League
Tsygankov’s performances for Girona this season have caught the attention of a number of Europe’s elite teams
Both Saka and Martinelli offer two perfectly balanced options in Arsenal’s attack; the former a slick and slick customer, the latter a bundle of raw energy. Tsygankov is somewhere between the two, and that may be what Arsenal need.
It’s no surprise then that reports claim Arteta is already ‘in love’ with the player, who is fit for a big role in his side’s attacking line-up.
As well as being able to rest Saka on the right from time to time, Tsygankov would offer Arteta the luxury of shuffling his pack against a stubborn, low-block defense late in the match as the Gunners once again battle on four fronts in 2024 want to go play. -25.
One sight that Arsenal fans – or whichever team picks up the Ukrainian – will have to get used to is the player holding up a lightsaber when he scores – a purple one for anyone wondering – a tribute to one of his favorite movies, apparently .
Tsygankov will feature in a strong role for a strong Ukrainian side this summer, which could see his market value rise further than the reported £25.5m approach the Gunners are said to have taken.
That could be a problem for Arsenal if they want to complete a no-frills deal early, although initial report from AS claims AC Milan have also shown interest.
Tsygankov is a huge Star Wars fan, as evidenced by the lightsaber he regularly raises when celebrating his goals
The Ukrainian star will be a key part of Serhiy Rebrov’s campaign at the European Championship
While Girona will hope to retain their star until the end of his contract expiry date in 2027,after recent interview with IFThis summer, Tsygankov opened the door for a move ‘through the front door’.
‘All players dream big, they want to play in big clubs, in top competitions. “I’m not unique in that,” he said.
‘From an early age I wanted to play at a high level and of course I like the fact that important clubs in Europe are looking out for me. I don’t really know what will happen. In football anything can happen.
‘Maybe I was able to play my last match, but I don’t know what will happen to my future.
‘Girona has given me a lot and I am very grateful. Moreover, my family is very happy here and I feel very comfortable.
‘If I am still here in Girona, perfect, because I am very happy and enjoy what I do. If the future ultimately tells me to leave, I want to do it through the front door.’
Tsygankov has opened the door to a move, but says he will only leave ‘through the front door’
Mikel Arteta is reportedly already ‘in love’ with the Ukrainian striker and wants to bring him to North London
At 26, Tsygankov is still just a year or two away from the prime of his career, and strangely enough he would become one of the senior heads in the Arsenal dressing room if a concrete offer were to materialize.
As such, any fee in the region of £25 million would be a very good one. The debate will point to the fact that he hasn’t been tested in the Champions League, but look at Leandro Trossard and the absolute bargain he has been.
Although Tsygankov hasn’t quite completed the trajectory that Football Manager players expected over the past five years, the Ukrainian star is now rapidly approaching that maximum potential.
His pace, agility, dribbling and above all his sheer intention to get forward and cause problems means that a move to a club looking to make deep progress in the Champions League is now a matter of when rather than if.