Martin Zubimendi – the ‘next Xabi Alonso’ who can win Arsenal the Premier League

Long before he replaced Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in the Euro 2024 final, Martin Zubimendi was a wanted man.

His impressive performances for Real Sociedad were catching the eye of many European giants including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

It appeared that Liverpool had won the race for his signature last summer, only for the Spaniard to change his mind at the last moment.

Now, after months and months of speculation, Zubimendi is a Premier League player having signed for Arsenal in a transfer worth £55million – slightly more than his release clause.

So why is the defensive midfielder such a big deal and is he the player who will finally end the Gunners’ long wait for the league title?

No Partey, no problem

Arsenal were always planning to bring in one holding midfielder this summer, with it long clear that the aging Jorginho would be departing on a free to Flamengo.

Zubimendi would have competed with Thomas Partey for the No.6 spot, joining the irreplaceable Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard in midfield.

But now the position is his own after Partey’s departure. Veteran Christian Norgaard is arriving from Brentford to provide cover.

Defensively, he’ll basically do what Partey did: make aggressive tackles, win plenty of aerial duels and intelligently position himself to disrupt opposition attacks.

Standing at 5ft 11in, the 26-year-old should have no problem adjusting the physical demands of the Premier League and an Arteta side, while he – unsurprisingly for a Spanish midfielder – is technically very gifted.

It is offensively where things get interesting: Don’t expect him to directly contribute too much. He registered just two goals and one assist last season – half what Partey produced.

The underlying stats make for curious reading too: Less passes attempted and completed than the Ghanian, though this could arguably be down to the difference between title-chasing Arsenal and mid-table Sociedad.

In terms of possession, they’re about the same for number of touches but Zubimendi spends much more of his time in the defensive third and has far fewer carries then his predecessor.

So he’s a more defensively-minded player, right? Wrong, where Zubimendi excels is operating as a single pivot, allowing the No.8s more freedom to create.

If the opposition press, he’s good enough and smart enough to dribble out of trouble before finding a teammate ahead of him, far outperforming Partey in terms of progressive passes and long balls.

So, on paper, he’ll do everything that Partey does but better and improve Arteta’s already excellent midfield and attack. If it translates to the pitch, Arsenal could be unstoppable.

Less Arteta, more Alonso

If the stats don’t sell you on Zubimendi, maybe the comparisons to legendary Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso will.

‘He could play with both feet, he was a quick-thinker, and he was always in the right positions on the pitch. He was like Xabi Alonso in the way he saw football.’

That’s the thoughts of Roberto Montiel who oversaw Zubimendi’s development in the Antiguoko academy and who also coached a certain Mikel Arteta.

‘I would say Martin was more similar to Xabi than Mikel, as a boy as well as a player.

‘Like Xabi, he was a great passer who made good decisions. He won the ball well and knew how to protect it. But he was also a bit of an introvert, similarly to Xabi, whereas Mikel was all-in. Martin could go a bit unnoticed because of that.’

‘Zubimendi takes Arsenal closer to the title’

Speaking to BetVictor, former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn believes Zubimendi could be the key to ending the Gunners’ 21 year wait for the Premier League title.

‘When Declan Rice has been playing slightly further forward he shows his power and his energy and how he can play forward passes. For me he thrives when he isn’t in that holding role, it takes something away from the team so I can understand the Martin Zubimendi deal.

‘Arsenal need a player who can pick up the ball from the defence and also play through the lines of the opposition instead of going backwards and square.

‘Zubimendi is certainly good on the ball and he can take Arsenal closer to a title, especially when it comes to getting the best out of Rice. It’s very hard to compare to the modern game, back then there was no such thing as a holding midfielder, you were just a midfielder who had to defend but also be able to go forward.

‘Could Patrick Viera have played the holding role? Absolutely he could have. He took the ball and drove forward at times, Emmanuel Petit was slightly different, he could take the ball and his passing range over distance was slightly better.

‘Even looking at players like Santi Cazorla under Arsene Wenger, you wouldn’t call him a defensive midfielder but he dropped deep at times and could dictate play. In the modern game it’s about being able to get the ball from the back and getting it to the forward players, advancing quickly and cutting through the lines.

‘You need someone who is very good on the ball and gives that security in front of the defence. Martin Zubimendi can provide that.’

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