Martin Zubimendi is in London, England with his agent to soon have a discussion with Arsenal about the transfer that has been rumored a lot in recent days. Zubimendi's release clause for Real Sociedad is worth 60 million Euros.
Arsenal have been interested in Zubimendi since the summer of 2024 but have not been able to successfully make the deal. They switched to Mikel Merino and brought the midfielder to the Emirates Stadium first. However, with Merino, The Gunners still did not give up Zubimendi. Captain Mikel Arteta wants to increase the depth of the squad, avoiding the situation of half-time races with a lack of steam like the last 3 seasons.
Not only Arsenal, Zubimendi was a top target for Real Madrid and Liverpool. However, the Reds' chasing of Los Blancos has not been as strong as they have been with Los Blancos, since they unexpectedly parted ways with Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso took over and did not consider Zubimendi as an important target anymore.
Arsenal really need to add attacking stars, but having a deep-lying midfielder like Zubimendi is not a bad option. In the immediate future, they have lost Jorginho (shifted to Flamengo) while Thomas Partey is said to be close to leaving the Emirates this summer. If so, the "number 6" position of the team will only be taken up by Declan Rice.
Last season, Real Sociedad finished 11th in La Liga. The 26-year-old midfielder has 2 goals and 2 assists after 36 appearances. More than ever, Zubimendi needs a new destination to reach higher heights, suitable for his current abilities.
Martin Zubimendi is one of the young talents trained by Xabi Alonso when he was Real Madrid captain of the San Sebastian team. The position Zubimendi is playing for has been Alonso's forte in the past. Accuracy and practicality are the most outstanding points of the 26-year-old midfielder.
In Real Sociedad's system, Zubimendi likes to drop deep to receive the ball from the back, then slowly move up. Sociedad also prioritize high-speed short-range starting play, which is similar to Arsenal. Zubimendi has a very impressive way of escaping pressing. He often faces pressure from the opponent right near the home team's penalty area but still handles it neatly.
To have this way of playing, Zubimendi must possess good personal techniques, a very fast and decisive decision-making speed. Not only that, he must have a high pass accuracy rate because if he passes close to the home team's penalty area but fails, the goal can come soon after. In addition, the Spanish midfielder has incredible confidence and coolness, almost never feeling overwhelmed no matter how overwhelming the opponent is.
Zubimendi is the link between the defense and midfield. In the team's deep development strategy, Mikel Arteta really needs such a person to free Rice back to his box-to-box position. Or in a situation where they need to defend tightly, Zubimendi could join Rice to form a solid shield in front of David Raya's goal.
