Arsenal midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice
Arsenal midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice
The arrival of Bruno Guimaraes could have a knock-on effect for one Arsenal midfielder, and a report claims Xabi Alonso would love for Chelsea to make a move.
After a protracted transfer saga that involved claims, counter-claims and counter-claims to those counter-claims, the end result for Bruno Guimaraes is clear – he’s joining Arsenal.
A club-to-club agreement with Newcastle worth £75m was sealed on Wednesday. Personal terms were long since agreed, and the Brazilian has since passed a medical.
Clubs don’t often spend such big sums on players in their late-twenties unless fully intending to get the most ouf of the player while they still can.
In other words, Guimaraes will walk straight into Mikel Arteta’s starting eleven, where he’ll line up in midfield alongside the irrepressible Declan Rice.
However, one player who might not be so thrilled at Guimaraes’ arrival is Martin Zubimendi, who may now spend more time on the bench than he would hope.
And according to Chelsea insider,Si Phillips, Blues boss Xabi Alonso could come to his fellow Spaniard’s rescue by bringing him to Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso wants Martin Zubimendi at Chelsea
In his Substack, he wrote: “I was told by a source that Xabi Alonso is a big fan of Martin Zubimendi and has communicated to Chelsea that he’s a player he likes and is of interest to him.
“I’m NOT saying Chelsea are going for Zubimendi, but he is a player who’s been mentioned by Alonso.”
Alonso and Zubimendi are both from the Basque region of Spain and both starred for Real Sociedad before going on to bigger and better things in their playing careers.
Prior reports have even confirmed Alonso is Zubimendi’s idol, having been at Real Sociedad when Zubimendi was a youngster.
There are no suggestions Arsenal are ready to boot Zubimendi out. Indeed, the club are determined to challenge for trophies on every front over the coming years, and excellent strength in depth is a must to achieve that aim.
Nevertheless, with Arsenal still intending to spend heavily on a new left winger and potentially Julian Alvarez too, a difficult decision may have to be made on a player they’d prefer to keep to help balance the books.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is a player who has come under the microscope in that regard, with Manchester United sniffing around a deal.
However, Football Insider state Arsenal have no intention of letting their homegrown star go.
One big name who is on the chopping block, according to The Independent, is Gabriel Martinelli.
Naturally, his exit would only take shape if Arsenal succeed in signing an upgrade for the left flank.