Spanish side Real Madrid have been told they made a ‘huge’ transfer mistake over Arsenal star Martin Zubimendi in the summer window.
Arsenal completed the signing of Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal worth almost £60m in July, beating Real Madrid in the race for the player.
Zubimendi has shined in Arsenal’s midfield since his switch to north London as he attempts to help the Gunners land the Premier League title.
The 26-year-old also impressed on the international stage for Spain in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Georgia on Saturday.
Following the match, several members of the Cadena SER panel on the latest Carrusel Deportivo broadcast spoke about Real Madrid’s failure to sign Zubimendi.
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Spanish journalist Julio Pulido said: ‘If he (Real Madrid’s sporting director) sees the national team’s recent matches and Zubimendi’s level of performance, he might regret having decided not to invest in him for Real Madrid.
‘I think that piece in Xabi Alonso’s Madrid would be fundamental today.’
Antonio Romero added: ‘It’s a huge mistake that Real Madrid didn’t sign Zubimendi for 60 million after spending 120 million on Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.’
Zubimendi reveals why he rejected Liverpool for Arsenal
One year before Zubimendi joined Arsenal, he had the opportunity to move to Liverpool but ended up staying at Real Sociedad for an extra year.
Speaking to The Guardian about why he rejected Liverpool for Arsenal, Zubimendi said: ‘When any proposal comes, the first question has to be whether to stay at la Real.
‘And it wasn’t the right moment [to go]. I stayed and it was a hard season but I learned a lot.
‘I wanted to step forward, take that weight after others went.
‘I’ve always tried to choose the right time and I’m happy with how it happened in the end.
‘I had watched Arsenal and I liked everything I saw, in terms of passion, youth, the feeling you got watching them.
‘And when Mikel Arteta called me… Well, if you’ve ever spoken to him you’ll know that he can be very convincing.
‘He’s mad about football, crazy about having everything under control, trying to get something from every little detail.
‘He’s very clear on everything and the proposal he had was the best for me.’