Martin Zubimendi has finally been confirmed as an Arsenal player.placeholder image
Martin Zubimendi has finally been confirmed as an Arsenal player. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
After a week which closed with unedifying headlines about one Arsenal midfielder - former player Thomas Partey, who has been charged with rape - the club have signed a new powerhouse.
It has just been announced that Martin Zubimendi will be heading to north London from Real Sociedad, for a fee believed to be between £50m and £60m. The 26-year made 236 appearances for the Reale Arena outfit, and has also made himself into a regular for the Spanish national team. He came off the mention as Spain won the Euro 2024 final against England last summer.
The 26-year-old has drawn regular comparison to Spanish legend Sergio Busquets, who with Andres Iniesta and Xavi formed a perfectly complementary midfield in the heyday of Barcelona and Spain’s all-conquering tiki-taka brand of football.
In an interview several years ago with Mundo Deportivo, Zubimendi was asked what a good midfielder,a nd his reply will delight Arsenal fans. “You have to have a sufficient humility to devote yourself to the team,” Zubimendi said. “The first thing is the collective – not being individualistic. [It’s] about being constantly helping, whether it’s for the defensive line or your team-mates higher up.”
Martin Zubimendi has signed for Arsenal from Real Sociedadplaceholder image
Martin Zubimendi has signed for Arsenal from Real Sociedad | Arsenal.com
Arsenal.com has released a statement from Zubimendi which says: “This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come.”
Club sporting director Andrea Berta added: “We are so happy to bring Martin to Arsenal and have a lot of pride in finalising this transfer. Martin was a key target for us and we all know that he is a perfect fit for our squad with the high quality he has.
“We welcome Martin and his family to the club. We look forward to him settling in with his teammates and are very excited to see him playing in an Arsenal shirt.”
Mikel Arteta said: “Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team. He will fit in really well and he has all the attributes to be a key player for us. The standard he has consistently performed at over the last few seasons for both club and country is exactly why we are so excited to have him with us. We all welcome Martin and his family to the club.”
Zubimendi will wear the number 36 shirt.
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