Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer, but how could the midfielder perform under Mikel Arteta?
It's no secret that a striker is Arsenal's priority in the summer transfer window, but other parts of the squad also need improving, including midfield depth after Jorginho's departure from the club. Real Sociedad's Zubimendi has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal for months, and despite late interest from Real Madrid, it seems the Gunners are poised to sign the Spaniard.
As reported by The Athletic, Arsenal will sign the midfielder for £55million, slightly more than his £51million release clause, to ensure they can pay the fee in instalments and spend more on other players this summer. Zubimendi was a standout player in La Liga last season, with the 26-year-old also getting on the scoresheet in Spain's Nations League final defeat to Portugal.
So, if Arsenal were to sign Zubimendi, could the Spaniard help the Gunners win a trophy? Let's take a look.
Arsenal's 2025/26 season simulated with Martin Zubimendi
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Zubimendi to Arsenal in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2025/26 season. Alongside the midfielder, Arsenal signed French striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Zubimendi was an instant hit for Arteta's side, with the Spaniard's best feature being his availability. Never injured, Zubimendi made 47 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions, with all of them starts. In 47 games, the 26-year-old failed to score, but he grabbed four assists while managing an average rating of 7.03 per game.
Arsenal's best midfielders from the 2025/26 season
Arsenal's best midfielders from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager 24)
The Spaniard was joined by Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in midfield regularly, with Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey all rotation players over the course of the season. Ethan Nwaneri also became a starter for Arteta in the simulation, with the Englishman tallying 16 goal contributions across all competitions.
At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Arsenal's best XI from the 2025/26 season
Arsenal's best XI from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager 25)
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Zubimendi, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Nwaneri.
Zubimendi made Arsenal's best XI in the simulation, being joined by Odegaard and Rice in midfield. Nwaneri was regularly played on the left wing, while surprisingly, it was Gabriel Jesus who was Arsenal's best striker, with the Brazilian outscoring Ekitike, who struggled in his first season in England.
The Premier League title race was extremely close in the simulation, with Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all battling it out for the title until the final few games of the season. Arteta's side switched between first and second place for the majority of the season, but three defeats in their final six games of the campaign saw the Gunners drop off the pace and finish fourth.
The Premier League table from the 2025/26 season simulation
The Premier League table from the 2025/26 season simulation (Image: Football Manager)
23 wins, eight draws and seven defeats saw Arsenal end the season with 77 points, three fewer than Chelsea in third, four fewer than Liverpool in second, and six fewer than champions Man City. But, there was a good reason for the drop off as Arteta focused on the Champions League instead, and it paid off as the Gunners won the European trophy.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri saw Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final, the first-ever Champions League trophy in the club's history.
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