Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2025 for a fee of around £56 million.
Zubimendi was one of those arrivals that everyone knew was going to happen, we were just all waiting for it. The midfielder built a reputation before coming to Arsenal of being one of the best pure holding midfielders in the world, and Arteta will hope he can make the difference in the title race.
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The Spanish international has had a lot of success with his national team too, helping them to the European Championships in 2024, beating England in the final.
But what was Zubimendi’s early career like, and what was the path that eventually saw him make the blockbuster move to the Premier League?
Academy days before rising up the Sociedad ranks
Zubimendi is far from a journeyman. He played for two clubs before joining Arsenal. The first was his amateur youth football team that kickstarted his career…Antiguoko.
The midfielder began playing aged 7 in 2006, by joining Antiguoko, who were his local youth team, located in San Sebastian, much like Sociedad. The youth team tended to be the amateur ‘feeder’ team to Sociedad’s academy set up, and so it proved with Zubimendi.
After playing for Antiguoko for five years, Zubimendi joined Real Sociedad’s youth team aged 12, where he played alongside his continued appearances for the amateur side. It wasn’t until 2016 when Zubimendi made his first professional appearance, and also earned his first professional contract.
His debut came for Real Sociedad C, in August 2016 in a league game against Durango. In that first year as a professional, he stayed with the C team, but it only took one year for Zubimendi to get a promotion to the B team in 2017.
By 2019, aged 20, Zubimendi broke into the first team, after making 50 appearances for Real Sociedad B, scoring four goals, and providing one assist. His first team debut came in La Liga against Getafe, and this was where his development really kicked on.
Becoming a Sociedad star before joining Arsenal
In his first full season in Real Sociedad’s first team in 2019/20, Zubimendi made 10 appearances, including nine in La Liga. It also earned him his first taste of success, as Real Sociedad went on to win the Copa del Rey.
His second season was a real breakout though, as he went on to appear 41 appearances aged 21, becoming a regular in midfield for the Spanish side. It only got better for Zubimendi too, as the following season in 2021/22, he made 47 appearances, scoring three goals, and providing two assists. His first career goal for the first team came against RB Leipzig in the Europa League.
In the 2022/23 season, Zubimendi started coming onto the radar of several Premier League teams who were scouting his development. He made 44 appearances, scoring one goal, and providing four assists.
His impressive showings made Liverpool a very keen suitor for the midfielder, and they began showing serious interest in him between 2023 and 2024, in which season he manged to make 45 appearances, with four goals and one assist.
However, the Reds didn’t sign him, and after a consistent season in 2024/25 again, where he scored two goals and two assists (and won the Euro 2024 tournament), Arsenal came calling.
The Gunners will now hope they can help Zubimendi to his third piece of career silverware, a Premier League title…
Click here to see Arsenal’s first team squad.