Football | Arsenal complete signing of Martin Zubimendi

Transfer Confirmed | Martin Zubimendi to Arsenal

Arsenal have completed the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal worth almost £60m.

Author | DJ

The Spain midfielder is the Gunners' second signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrival of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for £5m.

Zubimendi, who rejected an approach from Liverpool last summer, came through the ranks at Real Sociedad before becoming a regular in their first team.

The 26-year-old deep-lying midfielder (who played 236 times for the Spanish club, scoring 10 goals) has signed a five-year deal.

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The club are also in talks to sign Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres for £70m. This is shaping up to be a big summer at Arsenal. 

The midfielder's experience and career so far

Last season, Zubimendi was part of the Real Sociedad side beaten 4-1 at Old Trafford as they were knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United. Sociedad went on to finish 11th in La Liga.

The midfielder played his part in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, coming off the bench to replace Manchester City's Rodri at half-time in the final against England. Mikel Oyarzabal's goal proved decisive as Spain lifted the trophy.

Zubimendi has earned 19 caps for his country, establishing himself as a regular in the squad following Rodri’s absence last season with a serious knee injury.

He was also on the scoresheet in the recent Nations League final against Portugal, though Spain were beaten on penalties.

A good signing for Arsenal? More reaction to come on eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com and londonsupernews.blogspot.com

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A Spanish Arsenal fan comments

Jacka, an Arsenal fan that lives in Spain, has seen a lot of the player back home and believes he will be a fantastic signing for the club.

He is equally comfortable progressing the ball by carrying it, using his sharp turning radius and acceleration to escape pressure deep in his own half. His ability in one-on-one situations stands out, with a 68% successful take-on rate that not only places him well clear of every other Arsenal midfielder but puts him in the 93rd percentile among players in Europe’s top five leagues, according to FBref.

For me, Zubimendi’s real value lies in his grasp of the fundamentals. There is clear attention to detail in his body positioning, how he receives possession and the decisions he makes with the ball. There is subtlety to his game as well – an understanding of when to inject tempo, when to go direct, how to weight his passes, and where to position himself to influence different phases of play or respond to the opposition’s approach.