REUTERS/Jon Super
Arsenal have been dealt a blow after it emerged that one first-team star wants to leave the club in January to get his career back on track.
The Gunners have started the season brilliantly and sit top of the Premier League table with eight wins from their nine games, while they are also undefeated in the Champions League after three games, as they prepare to take on Slavia Prague on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta has built one of the strongest squads in European football over recent years, and the abundance of talent that he now has at his disposal shows in how much he is able to rotate and maintain standards and performance levels.
One of the strongest areas of the pitch for Arsenal is their midfield. The club spent £70m to bring in Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle in the summer window, adding him to a roster of talent that includes Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino already.
That talent and quality has shone through this season, but Arteta has quite clearly got a preference for which combination he wants to use. Rice is the first name on the team sheet, and in recent games Guimaraes has taken the starting berth from Lewis-Skelly, who started the season brilliantly.
In certain game situations, the Spaniard calls upon his fellow countryman in Merino too, but so far in this campaign there hasn't been much need for Zubimendi to be on the pitch.
A Data Table Depicting Minutes played this season for Arsenal Including Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bruno
The £60m signing from Real Sociedad has failed to start a single game in the Premier League so far this season, and according to TEAMtalk, he is now ready to make a push to leave the club in January for more regular game time.
The player is open to leaving, and Arsenal would be open to allowing him to move on for the right offer, with a loan move believed to be their preference. The report also states that a number of clubs have already had contact about a potential deal, including the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal may want the strongest squad they can possibly have, but January feels like a tipping point for Zubimendi, and Arteta must make a big decision on what he will allow to happen.
Did it happen before or after?
Round 1 of 9
Arsenal Should Cash In on Zubimendi
Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
While there is no doubting the quality of Zubimendi, it's fair to say that Arsenal clearly don't need him to be successful. Their form this season has been impeccable, and Arteta rarely looks for him to make a difference on the pitch.
Considering the depth available, the chances of him turning things around seem slim, and if interest is as high as the report suggests, then Arsenal would be smart to look to cash in and recoup as much of the £60m as they can to invest into other areas of the squad.
The attack is in desperate need of reinforcements, and those additional funds could be helpful in bringing someone in. The team won't suffer with his absence, and there is always the chance of promoting a young player into the squad, or signing a player to take his place.
Arsenal have plenty of options, but cashing in on the World Cup winner is something they should seriously consider. If he wants to leave, having someone unhappy in the squad won't be beneficial in their chase for trophies in the second half of the season.
Thierry Henry Arsenal
Thierry Henry Arsenal