**Mikel Arteta**talked about two top midfielders who have shone at **Arsenal**in recent weeks.
Declan Rice arrived from West Ham as a respected defensive presence with a superb engine. However, he has shown he has the movement in the final third, ball striking, and set-piece delivery to be a threat as an all-round box to box midfielder. He was on the money again with a cross to assist Gabriel Magalhaes against Atletico Madrid, earning the praise of his manager once more.
Meanwhile, Martin Zubimendi quietly conducted his business. He switched allegiances this summer for £55 million from Real Sociedad to the side in North London. He has stepped into the starting eleven as the new six in place of Thomas Partey, and Arteta believes he has even more to give.
“[Declan] is becoming a total player. A total player has to be able to do as many things as possible and he has the capacity to do that. So that's to evolve a player, to start to bring something else to the team, and especially when you talk about scoring goals, expecting the opposition goal, even better.
“He's been instrumental in our improvement in that part of the game.
“Every player is different. We have some terrific midfielders here. [Martin] brings certain hierarchy, certain composure that it's very difficult to understand, and then the way he perceives information and learns from the game and what is actually happening in the game at that speed is remarkable.
“I think about him it was about unlocking certain spaces and his capacity to look further and hold the position when his teammates are further from the ball than himself. If he can add goals, even better.
“There is a lot more to come, and the more he understands his teammates, the timing of that and those relationships build, I think we'll see another level of skill in him.”