Mikel Arteta has reportedly asked Arsenal to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in the summer, and he’s ‘open to’ joining despite apparently rejecting them in January.
In January, a number of midfielders were linked with a move to the Emirates. Moises Caicedo was one of the main links, largely because he essentially begged Brighton to let him go.
Beyond that, Zubimendi was a name that cropped up. Reports following the closure of the January window suggested he had been ‘considered’ by the Gunners, who opted to sign Jorginho.
Some outlets have also reported Zubimendi ‘turned down’ a move to the club.
In any case, it appears he is still in Arsenal boss Arteta’s plans for the future. Indeed, Spanish outlet Sport reports the manager has ‘asked the club to make an effort’ to sign the midfielder.
That’s as he is one of his ‘main targets to reinforce the midfield’.
What’s more, the transfer could be one that has legs. Indeed, the midfielder himself is reportedly ‘open to making the leap to the Premier League’.
It’s not hard to see why a player would want to join the Premier League’s top side. What’s more, Arteta seems to have built a side with a real bond, that are also playing very good football.
Zubimendi will cost in the region of £52million, due to his release clause at Sociedad. However, given the Gunners would have been willing to spend £70million on Caicedo in January, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Zubimendi could be a fantastic addition to the side, if he was to join. He’s been a quality holding midfielder for the last couple of seasons, in which his club finished fifth and sixth in La Liga.
They’re currently third, and it’s no surprise that the Spaniard has missed just one game in that time.
Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Jorginho are all 30 or over and Thomas Partey is 29. Indeed, captain Martin Odegaard is the only member of the midfield that will have long left playing at the top.
As such, signing a quality 24-year-old in Zubimendi to play alongside him will keep the midfield fresh for some time. Arteta will hope he’s given the resources to sign the star and stay competitive in the coming years.
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