Arsenal eye transfer for the 'new Busquets'

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 24 Jan 2023 07:27 GMT
• 4 min read

Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi has been a huge part of a stellar season so far for Real Sociedad.

La Real sit comfortably in third spot in the La Liga table, seven points from Atletico Madrid in fourth, with just Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead of them, respectively.

Arsenal have been linked to the midfielder and appeared willing to pay the €60m release clause in the player's contract. Reports in Spain - via Cadena Ser - suggested that the player had knocked them back - but given his quality, it seems this one isn’t going away just yet.

Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey have forged an excellent partnership but some cover would be worthwhile for the Gunners given their standing in the Premier League - with a great chance to win the title for the first time since 2004.

If they were to purchase the 23-year-old Spaniard, just what would they be getting?

Martin Zubimendi Profile - Spain’s new Busquets

In short: an astute orchestrator. Considered Sergio Busquets’ successor for the Spanish national team, Zubimendi has slowly developed as a No.6 for Sociedad, having before been asked to fulfil the box-to-box role.

Xabi Alonso, who coached Zubimendi at youth level, said of the midfielder: “Martin’s a player all coaches would want. He’s generous, he always thinks more about his teammates than himself. He has that ability to generate play, to make those around him better, always offering solutions; to improve the move. He understands what the next step is before the ball gets to him. He has that ability to organise, the axis.”

In Sociedad’s 4-4-2 diamond shape, which is littered with technical midfielders, Zubimendi operates ahead of the back-four as a pivot, with Manchester City legend David Silva ahead as the No. 10. Such a position requires great footballing intelligence and an ability to generate tempo and help in transition. Zubimendi, now in his third season as a first-team regular, ticks all the boxes in this regard.

Zubimendi is the heartbeat of Imanol Alguacil’s system. He seldom carries the ball but finds the perfect pass to enable the three men just ahead to find areas of space and conjure dangerous attacks. He offers great passing ability - even when striking lofted balls - and can also find players in the attacking third with seamless hits along the ground. There is no razzmatazz with Zubimendi, no deft dribbling and bullish runs forward, he is more of an architect whose also able to clean up and force turnovers in the middle of the pitch.

He makes 1.50 interceptions per 90 and wins 70.8% of his aerial duels. Like Partey and Xhaka he is, therefore, able to provide a great physical presence in midfield and offer protection to the defence. But his quality of balls and technical ability would arguably provide Mikel Arteta with a better choice than the aforementioned players to truly build the Spaniard’s style, the Pep Guardiola-infused possession-based blueprint that asks Arsenal to control the game and find space inside the box with regular probes.

The San Sebastian-born player has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €24.8m but Sociedad have set a release clause of €60m.

If Arsenal were to meet that and get Zubimendi over the line, it would offer that boost to make the title this season almost certain.