Arsenal ‘agrees’ deal with former Liverpool target Martin Zubimendi
Arsenal have wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi for a long time and have finally decided to trigger his release clause.
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Martin Zubimendi (Via X)
A recent report from Steve Kay of Football Transfers has revealed that Arsenal have unlocked the deal to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the ongoing transfer window. They are ready to sign him by triggering his release clause of €60 million. Moreover, the Gunners will pay him a weekly wage of €80,000, which is double of what he currently gets in Sociedad.
Zubimendi is definitely one of the best defensive midfielders in La Liga. He has been a constant feature in the playing XI of the club and has been an integral performer of Sociedad’s midfield. Many clubs have been interested in the Spaniard, but he has chosen to stay at Sociedad.
Zubimendi has scored one goal in 18 matches so far in the ongoing La Liga 2024/2025 season. Zubimendi’s npxG output is 1.55, which puts him in the top 58th percentile of La Liga players. He has a pass completion rate of 84.21%. The Spaniard also plays 0.75 key passes each game, which leads to significant scoring chances. Overall, Zubimendi’s xA (expected assists) output is 0.16 per 90 minutes.
Arsenal want to sign Zubimendi as the futures of Thomas Partey and Jorginho are not certain. Both of them have currently entered the last six months of their contract and can sign a pre-contract deal with any club. So, the Gunners need to sign one midfield reinforcement as they can’t offer both of their players a new contract. Hence, they had shortlisted Zubimendi as the one to sign after keeping tabs on him for a long time.
Jamie Carragher has criticised Mikel Arteta for urging Arsenal to sign Mikel Merino ahead of a striker
Jamie Carragher has stated that Arsenal’s decision to not sign a forward or a striker in the summer transfer window might have cost the club the Premier League title. He felt that Arsenal can’t win another title without the presence of a quality attacker or striker. Carragher claimed that the signing of Mikel Merino for the Gunners was not justified as he is not a game-changer.
Merino is not a game-changer. Everything we have seen in the first half of this campaign has reinforced arguments made in pre-season. I wrote a few months ago that Chelsea cannot win the title without signing a goalkeeper and centre-back. Their recent performances have exposed where they are short. Arsenal cannot win the title without another attacker. That was true before Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus’s injuries.
Jamie Carragher said to the Athletic.
Merino has scored two goals in 14 matches so far in the Premier League 2024/2025 season. His total G/A (goals + assists) is 3 for this season. He has passed the ball roughly 40.66 times on average during a game, with a pass completion rate of 79.33%.
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Rohit Sarkar
(277 Articles Published)