Arsenal close in on signing "world-class" star

After beating Brentford on New Year’s Day, Arsenal have failed to win any of their subsequent three games.

Mikel Arteta’s side drew with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and then lost to Newcastle United and Manchester United in the League Cup and FA Cup, respectively.

Despite conceding in each of those matches, the biggest issue is proving to be the Gunners’ attack, and while club captain Martin Odegaard looked better against the Red Devils – bar his dreadful penalty, that is – he has looked someway off his sensational best this year.

His poor form is undoubtedly in part down to the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season, but it could also be down to the chopping and changing of the midfield around him, so recent reports linking the club to someone who could be a mainstay in the team next season and a dream teammate to boot, should excite fans.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from talkSPORT’s Chief Football Correspondent Alex Crook, Arsenal are seriously interested in signing Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi this summer.

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi

In fact, Crook goes one step further, claiming that personal terms are “already in place” with the player and that Liverpool are now “not expected to revisit their interest.”

Crook does not mention how much the transfer may cost, but in another report from earlier today, journalist Sami Mokbel revealed that the Gunners will activate the £51m release clause in the Spaniard’s contract in the summer.

It’s undoubtedly a lot of money, but given Zubimendi’s ability, it could prove more than worth it, especially as he could be a dream teammate for Odegaard.

Why Zubimendi would be an ideal teammate

So, there are several reasons why Zubimendi would be an excellent teammate for Odegaard in this Arsenal team, and the first is that they have already played together.

Before he joined the Gunners in 2021, the Norwegian maestro spent the 19/20 season on loan with Real Sociedad, where he played with Mikel Merino in a midfield which the 25-year-old Spaniard then joined towards the end of the campaign.

The second reason he’d be a great teammate is that he’s rarely out injured, having missed just ten games since the start of the 20/21 campaign.

This is incredibly important, as his ability to start games week-in-week-out should help him build footballing relationships with his new teammates, keep a sense of continuity within the team and help build momentum.

As they say, availability is the best ability.

Lastly, as his underlying numbers show, the “world-class” international, as dubbed by Spanish football writer Alexandra Jonson, is capable of fulfilling both the defensive and offensive responsibilities of playing at the base of midfield, thus allowing Odegaard to focus his attention on what’s happening at the sharp end of the pitch.

For example, according to FBref, the 25-year-old sits in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League for successful take-on percentage and percentage of aerial duels won, the top 10% for percentage of dribblers tackled, the top 11% for clearances, the top 12% for passes blocked, the top 15% for shots blocked and more, all per 90.

Zubimendi’s FBref Scout Report
Statistics	Per 90	Percentile
Successful Take-On %	70.6%	Top 5%
% of Aerials Won	66.3%	Top 5%
Average Shot Distance	14.30	Top 7%
Penalty Kicks Won	0.03	Top 9%
% of Dribblers Tackled	61.5%	Top 10%
Touches (Def Pen)	3.72	Top 10%
Clearances	2.20	Top 11%
Passes Blocked	0.51	Top 12%
Aerials Won	1.70	Top 13%
Shots Blocked	0.48	Top 15%
All Stats via FBref

Ultimately, it might not make a difference this season, but the news that Arsenal are primed to sign Zubimendi in the summer should seriously excite the fans, as with him in the team, Odegaard could have more licence to get forward and play to his full potential.