Over the last few years, Arsenal have been transformed from a team unable to break into the Champions League places to one consistently fighting for the Premier League title.
Unfortunately, injuries, silly suspensions and a dip in form have seen their charge halted early this year and have prompted some to suggest that the squad will be in need of a minor overhaul in the summer.
One of the players most heavily touted for a move to the Emirates since the turn of the year has been Real Sociedad and Spain star Martin Zubimendi.
The talented midfielder would undoubtedly improve the team, but Mikel Arteta might already have a better long-term option within his squad.
Why Arsenal want to sign Zubimendi
So, there are two reasons why Arsenal would want to sign Zubimendi in the summer, and the first is down to needing more bodies.
While the club are low on attacking talent at the moment, they will likely be low on midfield talent come the summer, as Thomas Partey and Jorginho both see their contracts expire on June 30th, and it seems unlikely that they will be getting new deals.
The second reason the Gunners want to bring the Spaniard to North London is the simple fact that he’s an excellent defensive midfielder who can help tidy things up at the back as well as chip in with some quality passes here and there to kickstart attacks.
For example, it was Spain manager Luis de la Fuente who dubbed the La Real star as one of the “best central midfielders in the world.”
Then, a few weeks later, it was the 26-year-old who came on in the final to help his nation win the European Championships.
On top of that, the San Sebastian-born monster is one of the leading figures in the Sociedad team and has amassed 223 appearances thus far, so he should be able to walk into the Gunners midfield and not be overawed by anything.
In short, signing Zubimendi would help to both beef up Arsenal’s midfield options and inject some real quality at the same time.
However, it’s going to cost the club a pretty penny to get him to North London, and with the need for attacking reinforcements even more acute, it might make sense to focus the finances there, especially as Hale End might have just delivered Arteta the perfect alternative to the Sociedad star.
Arsenal's Zubimendi alternative
This season has seen the emergence of two sensational Hale End talents: Ethan Nwaneri, who’s bossing things at right wing, and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has massively stepped up at left-back.
However, while the latter has played the vast majority of his senior minutes at full-back, he’s naturally a midfielder, so he is the possible alternative to Zubimendi.
When you look at his appearances at both senior and youth level, you realise that his most played position is actually defensive midfield, with left-back a close second and central midfield in third.
Appearances
26
24
10
Goals
2
1
1
Assists
2
1
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.15
0.08
0.70
On top of his positional similarity to the Spaniard, we’ve already seen this season that the “unplayable” teen, as dubbed by Jack Wilshere, has a sensational pass in him.
For example, he played a defence-splitting pass that led to a goal against Bolton in the League Cup and did so again in the club’s win over AS Monaco in the Champions League.
It’s not just his technical skill that suggests he’d thrive in the middle of the park, but also his physicality.
Despite being just 18 years old, it’s hard to think of a single instance in which he’s been muscled off the ball this season.
Instead, it’s become normal to see him ride challenges from seasoned professionals as if it’s nothing.
Ultimately, even though there is an argument to be made that he’s still too inexperienced, Lewis-Skelly looks to be the real deal, and should Arsenal opt against signing Zubimendi in the summer, perhaps he should start in midfield instead next season.
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