Zubimendi will wear the number 36placeholder image
Zubimendi will wear the number 36 | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Mikel Arteta should bring back an old rule to get his side’s squad number in check.
Arsenal have finally signed Martin Zubimendi, but the midfielder has only added to a squad number issue at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have been chasing Zubimendi for months, ultimately agreeing on a deal with Real Sociedad worth around £55million.
The Spain international arrives as a clear upgrade on Jorginho, who left the club this summer at the end of his contract. Speaking to the club site upon his arrival, Zubimendi said: “Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me.
“It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. Andrea [Berta] and Mikel [Arteta] took excellent care of me, leaving me with no doubts whatsoever. This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it's a big change, but I'm ready to get started.”
He added on Mikel Arteta: “We have a lot in common. We come from the same city and played for the same teams. We'll have something to talk about off the pitch, I'm happy about that.” Zubimendi also spoke about reuniting with Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad and Spain teammate David Raya. “I'm happy to be here with them,” the midfielder added. “I've played many games alongside Merino over the years. It's important because it will make the transition much easier for me, and I'm sure they'll be a great help.”
Arsenal’s squad number problem
It may be trivial in many ways, but Arsenal’s squad numbers are now in a poor state. Their new starting midfielders will be the numbers 41 and 36 in Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, while Mikel Merino is number 21. Elsewhere, regular features Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly are numbers 33 and 49. Starting striker - at least for now - Kai Havertz, is number 29.
Currently, the numbers 3, 5, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 25 are all available, and this speaks to an issue the Premier League should address to avoid untraditional numbers. Clubs must submit a squad of 25 senior players to compete in the Premier League, while players under 21 don’t have to fall into that number. A simple solution would be for the 25-man squad submitted to start the season needing to have a number from 1-25.
In the absence of a Premier League rule, Mikel Arteta, who loves looking for 1% gains, whether they are physical or mental, should consider a similar rule to give off a disciplined and traditional look, getting back to the no-nonsense days of the Invincibles. Back in the Invincible season, only two players who played 10 games or more had a squad number higher than 25, Kolo Toure and Jérémie Aliadière, who were both young at the time. Time to run it back.
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