Arsenal transfer target Zubimendi was seen as the new Busquets… Arteta will love him but he WON'T win Gunners games
ARSENAL are on the brink of starting their summer splurge with a £50million deal for Martin Zubimendi.
But what will the Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder bring to Mikel Arteta's side? Spanish-based journalist Andy West runs the rule over the 26-year-old.
Advertisement
5
Martin Zubimendi is set to join Arsenal in a £50m deal
Credit: Getty
5
Zubimendi protects the back four and can smoothly link defence and attack
Credit: Getty
5
He has been compared to midfield great Sergio Busquets
Credit: Getty
Dynamic, composed, aggressive... it's long been inevitable Zubimendi's qualities would lead him to Europe's elite.
When a young Zubimendi progressed from Real Sociedad's youth ranks to become a first-team regular five years ago, he was quickly touted as a target for
That never materialised, mainly because of Barca's well-documented financial problems, but the comparison is largely accurate.
Advertisement
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
He is also press-resistant, capable of receiving and calmly retaining possession in tight spaces.
But Zubimendi is physically more explosive than Busquets, able to evade pressure by driving with the ball into space.
Zubimendi is an effective and efficient performer rather than flashy — much of his best work unfussily executed off the ball.
He reads the game superbly, always popping up in the right place to receive possession from a team-mate or disrupt the opposition's rhythm. That includes game management.
Advertisement
Most read in Football
Latest
Exclusive
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
5
A central aspect of Real Sociedad's approach is preventing counter-attacks by physically pressing the first phase of possession, using fouls if necessary.
Zubimendi's 47 career yellow cards — but no reds — show he is not averse to controlled aggression.
Advertisement
These WILD Liverpool stats spell Arsenal disaster | Experts' best bets
More tellingly — just 11 goals and eight assists in nearly 250 appearances makes it clear Zubimendi is not a major presence in the opposition final third. That is not his game.
Rather than chasing personal glory, Zubimendi makes his team better through positional discipline, distributing simply but quickly, and denying the opposition space.
If there is one concern about the long-awaited move to Arsenal, it is whether he can adapt to a new team in a new league.
Growing up in San Sebastian and joining his local club aged 12, Real Sociedad is all he has ever known.
Advertisement
The Basques boast one of football's best youth systems, with a clearly- defined style throughout the age groups allowing local talents to enjoy a seamless transition to senior football.
Away from that comfort zone, Zubimendi has rarely been so effective for his country.
Since his Spain debut in 2021 he has struggled to become a regular, mostly deputising for
Can Zubimendi thrive when he leaves the familiarity of his boyhood club?
Advertisement
Surely no coach could be better placed to help the transition than
The
At 26, Zubimendi is in his prime. The step-up to a major title candidate like Arsenal has been brewing for years.
As long he is expected to knit the team together rather than win games single-handedly, everything points towards Zubimendi quickly becoming a key piece for Arteta's Arsenal.
Advertisement
Join SUN CLUB for the Arsenal Files every Friday plus
in-depth coverage and exclusives from The Emirates
5
Mikel Arteta should be able to get the best out of him
Credit: Getty
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
33 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Nations League joy for Portugal after penalty shootout victory against Spain
Diogo Costa was the shootout hero as Portugal won the Nations League by defeating defending champions Spain 5-3 on penalties after twice coming from behind to draw 2-2 in Munich. Porto goalkeeper Costa denied Alvaro Morata from the spot before Ruben Neves slammed home the next kick to seal glory for Roberto Martinez's men. Talk of the first meeting between 40-year-old Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and 17-year-old Spain winger Lamine Yamal dominated the build-up to the Allianz Arena showdown. Ronaldo's 61st-minute equaliser forced extra time but both players had been substituted by the time an absorbing contest was decided from 12 yards. Mikel Oyarzabal had earlier given Spain a half-time lead after the opening goal from his Real Sociedad team-mate Martin Zubimendi was cancelled out by impressive Portugal full-back Nuno Mendes. Portugal celebrated a second Nations League triumph, having won the inaugural tournament in 2019, with Ronaldo pictured in tears following the shootout. Goals seemed extremely likely in Bavaria, with Euro 2024 winners Spain having reached the final with a thrilling 5-4 win over France, while Portugal came from behind to beat Germany 2-1. Pedri and Nico Williams each threatened before Luis de la Fuente's side capitalised on their early ascendancy with a scrappy 21st-minute opener. Oyarzabal sparked the attack with a delightful flick in midfield and, after Portugal goalkeeper Costa and defenders Ruben Dias and Joao Neves made a mess of dealing with Yamal's delivery into the box, Zubimendi was on hand for a simple finish into the unguarded net. Portugal trailed for just four minutes. Marauding left-back Mendes - fresh from his Champions League triumph with Paris St Germain - claimed the leveller, bursting into the box beyond Oscar Mingueza to blast an angled drive into the bottom right corner for his first international goal. Martinez's side enjoyed increased possession and were largely subduing Spain before falling behind again in the final minute of the half. With Portuguese players appealing for a foul on Bernardo Silva by Robin Le Normand, Pedri drove forward and poked the ball through for Oyarzabal - who scored the winner in last summer's European Championship final against England - to divert an instinctive, first-time finish past Costa. Bruno Fernandes briefly thought he had levelled four minutes into the second period but Pedro Neto was offside before providing the assist. A second equaliser of the evening eventually arrived with 29 minutes to go. Mendes breezed past Yamal on Portugal's left and, after his low cross looped up off Le Normand, Ronaldo held off Marc Cucurella to volley home his 138th goal for his country. With the clock ticking towards an additional half an hour, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner limped off two minutes from time to be replaced by Goncalo Ramos. Portugal substitute Nelson Semedo scuffed wide early in extra time, while tempers threatened to boil over during a brief flashpoint after Mendes went down in Spain's box under a challenge from Alex Baena. Yamal was withdrawn ahead of a cagey second period of extra time before Portugal held their nerve to prevail on spot-kicks, with Spain substitute Morata the only man to miss. Earlier, Kylian Mbappe scored his 50th goal for France to help them claim third place with a 2-0 victory over Germany in Stuttgart. Germany spurned several chances to take the lead, most notably when Florian Wirtz saw his effort come back off the goal frame, before Mbappe struck on the stroke of half-time to put France ahead. Mbappe is now just one goal off Thierry Henry as France's second all-time leading goalscorer, and the Real Madrid forward then teed up substitute Michael Olise late on to secure a win for the visitors. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan was just as important for France, who lost a nine-goal semi-final thriller to Spain on Thursday, in this third-placed play-off as he made several important saves throughout.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘What should I tell you?' – Thomas Tuchel claims he is not feeling the pressure after abject England win over Andorra
THOMAS TUCHEL claims he is not feeling the heat as England boss — despite failing to fire up the nation's World Cup hopes since taking over. The German slammed his players' poor attitude and body language after they limped to a 1-0 win away against Andorra. 4 Thomas Tuchel responded to criticism after another boring win Credit: Getty 4 England scraped past Andorra 1-0 in World Cup qualifying Credit: Getty Their World Cup qualifier in Barcelona followed uninspiring performances in Tuchel's first two games against Albania and Latvia in March. And despite his But ahead of tomorrow night's friendly against Senegal in Nottingham, 'The biggest pressure comes from myself. We have three wins and three clean sheets and have a friendly match on Tuesday. I have felt more pressure than that.' READ MORE ON FOOTBALL Asked if it was a risk attacking his stars so early in his reign, he said: 'What risk? You "That we played a good match and are happy. The risk is only that you exaggerate it and make something of it that was not there. 'Everything I said, I said already to the team. There is no harm done. Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'We were not happy and no single player will be happy with what we showed against Andorra. 'Why would the coach be? And why would we be shy of saying so? If we want to get better, we first need to address that we were not happy with the end of both halves. 'They looked bored' - Roy Keane slams England's 'poor attitude' as Thomas Tuchel admits 'I didn't like' Andorra effort 'I didn't name a single name. We do this as a team. It's always a 'we' — and I just didn't like how we ended the match and the way that we ended the first half. ' 'It always includes me. Everything I say, I tell the players. 'I didn't like the attitude in the end. We lacked the urgency at the end. 'We played with fire. We didn't play like we have to play in a World Cup qualifier when we were only 1-0 up. 'What did I do wrong? Yes, I am included. But I don't know. We still won a match. We still Senegal will provide Tuchel's team with much stronger opposition compared to his first three matches. The ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich chief said: 'It would have been a good test anyway. No matter how well or not well we played against Andorra. 'We don't have lots of matches. We worship every training and match.' Tuchel is set to ring the changes at a sold-out City Ground, with Conor Gallagher, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice likely to feature. 4 Harry Kane grabbed the only goal in Barcelona Credit: Reuters 4 England were back in training at St George's Park on Sunday Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Uriah Rennie dead: Premier League's first black referee passes away aged 65 after rare condition left him paralysed
PREMIER League referee Uriah Rennie has tragically passed away aged 65. Legend Rennie had Advertisement 4 Rennie had been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition 4 Rennie has died aged 65 Credit: Getty 4 Kieran Richardson (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United protest to referee Uriah Rennie in 2006 Credit: Getty Once described as the "fittest" referee in England's top division, Rennie refereed over 300 top flight matches between 1997 and 2008. But after experiencing intense back pain while on holiday in Turkey last year, Rennie was admitted to Northern General Hospital in October. He told the "By the end of the holiday I couldn't sleep a wink from the pain, and by the time I got home I could barely walk. Advertisement read more sport "I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed. "They kept me in hospital until February, they found a nodule pushing on my spine and it was a rare neurological condition so it's not something they can operate on. "I have had to learn to move all over again, I'm retraining my legs." He continued: "It was strange - I went from running around the city to in essence being in traction for such a long time. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking "I didn't have any previous back problems but quite suddenly I wasn't able to move and was in a spinal unit." Rennie made history in 1997 when he became the Premier League 's first black referee, officiating a match between and . An FA statement read: "The FA Refereeing Department is saddened to hear of the passing of former FIFA and Premier League referee, Uriah Rennie. "Uriah will forever be remembered as a true trailblazer of the game. Our thoughts are with Uriah's family and friends at this time." Advertisement 4 Rennie signals during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool in 2003 Credit: Getty
