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Back in January, with Arsenal’s title challenge crumbling, Mikel Arteta was already thinking ahead.
He rarely loses sight of the long game, and his pursuit of Martin Zubimendi - months of persuasion and patience to land the Spanish midfield maestro - is already paying dividends.
As Daily Mail Sport reported in January, the Gunners had virtually completed a deal for the midfielder, to be finalised in the summer. It took time. They had had to fight off Real Madrid and Liverpool. And it took £60million in July - £9m over his release clause - to take the player away from the Basque region where he grew up.
Arteta’s impassioned pitch over the phone, outlining in detail how the 26-year-old would function in Arsenal’s midfield, proved decisive. So did the player’s belief that silverware was within touching distance at the north London club.
The result? Arsenal’s answer to Manchester City’s Rodri: a measured, metronomic No6 whose arrival has pushed their system from competitive to controlling.
Zubimendi’s positional intelligence and defensive timing - snapping at the heels of opponents, robbing them in terrier-like fashion - has quickly become the first gear in Arteta’s machine. And, crucially, it has also liberated Declan Rice to wreak havoc higher up the pitch.
Martin Zubimendi celebrates his goal against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season. The Spaniard is thought of as a holding midfielder but he's influencing games in an attacking way
Arsenal beat Liverpool and Real Madrid to the £60million signing of Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in July
The Gunners didn’t simply recruit another midfielder when they signed Zubimendi. They may have recruited that missing chunk of their identity. Their best buy since Rice? Arguably. The Premier League’s signing of the summer? You could make a case for it.
Some players take time adjusting to a foreign league. A peer over at Florian Wirtz at Liverpool, for example, puts Zubimendi’s assimilation into perspective. His clarity in possession, especially under pressure, has steadied Arsenal’s build-up and given them a calm in transition they have often lacked.
Arteta told Daily Mail Sport: ‘You have to adapt to the league in the physical and emotional part. It's not easy. You come to a different club, different country, he’s never been away from home. You have to deal with all that. He's done it brilliantly.
‘Why? Because he's such a good character that has connected with everybody so fast. And then his qualities, he’s such a talented and intelligent player that picks things up immediately. He needs to continue like that because still he can improve and do much more for the team.’
The defensive midfielder’s influence in the final third has also been a bonus. It was not the main reason for signing Zubimendi. But he scored a right-footed volley from outside the area against Nottingham Forest early in the season and added a headed effort later in the game to seal the victory.
He has become a threat around the area and was unlucky not to score against Sunderland before the international break when his strike hit the crossbar. Arteta added: ‘The last game (against Sunderland) is a great example. He hits the bar, he puts one across very close to the post. He has another action that he dribbles inside and shoots with the right foot. On set-pieces, he's been very good as well. We need that: a total player.’
Zubimendi arrived with a resume that had long made data analysts and coaches purr. At Real Sociedad he ranked among La Liga's most consistent conductors: fourth for passes (1,752), successful passes (1,479) and touches (2,197) in the 2024-25 campaign.
No surprise, then, that both Liverpool and Real Madrid circled. Madrid’s interest was informed by his former mentor Xabi Alonso; Liverpool saw a long-term heir to their own midfield rebuild. It even involved the Reds’ pitch showing Zubimendi, a keen mountain climber, pictures of Mount Urgull, one of several peaks he likes to hike up in the area.
Zubimendi in action for Real Sociedad, where he was consistently among the best passers in La Liga
With Arsenal coach Gabriel Heinze and boss Arteta, who also played for La Real, earlier this month
Yet, when it mattered, his choice was clear - helped by the fact that both he and Arteta played for La Real - and even started out at the same youth club, Antiguoko. The pair formed an instant and strong connection. ‘Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal,’ Zubimendi told the club’s website. ‘Their style of play suits me - a young, ambitious team with its best years ahead.’
Arteta was equally unequivocal, calling him ‘a player who will bring huge quality and football intelligence’. Inside London Colney, the message was even sharper: this was no depth signing. This was a cornerstone.
Sources close to the player remark first on his physique. From afar, he looks slight and diminutive; yet in person he’s sturdier than expected - strong enough to aerially compete despite standing 5ft 11in. In training, they say those tight, three-yard passes that take two opponents out of the picture have already become a feature.
Off the pitch, he has quickly settled among the club’s Spanish cohort, including Mikel Merino, who had initially recommended him to Arteta, as well as reconnecting with another former Real Sociedad team-mate in Martin Odegaard.
Naturally, when discussing modern No 6s, one reference point is unavoidable: Rodri, the Ballon d’Or-winning fulcrum of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. In profile, the resemblance is striking - high pass volumes, calm under pressure, intelligent positioning.
The statistics reflect this. In his 11 Premier League games so far, Zubimendi has completed 702 passes at 89 per cent accuracy. Only Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has completed more passes (786). Amongst Arsenal’s midfielders, he ranks No1 for tackles (21), interceptions (12) and open-play sequence involvements (456).
Yes, Rodri remains the benchmark. But Zubimendi feels like Arsenal’s variant - the version designed specifically for the intricacies and tempo Arteta wants.
His influence is visible in Rice’s transformation. Last season, Rice was everywhere: shielding the back line, pressing high, carrying the ball, arriving late in the box. The output was brilliant, but unsustainable - a constant compromise between tasks.
The signing of Zubimendi has allowed Declan Rice to play further up the pitch this season
Zubimendi is not the loudest player on the pitch. He’s the calm inside the storm, the quiet revolution at the heart of Arteta’s midfield
Arteta has pushed Rice higher up the pitch this season which has already garnered two goals and five assists across all competitions. The England midfielder said last month: ‘I can play No 6 or No 8. I think now I am more of a box-to-box No 8. The manager has adjusted my position a bit this year, giving me more freedom to drop deep but also get into the box when I can.’
Rice had defensive cover last season from Thomas Partey, but Zubimendi - more proficient at not getting dragged out of the team shape and leaving spaces when stepping out - has provided a consistent anchor that lets Rice hunt and attack with fewer defensive handbrake moments.
It’s not just Rice. Across the board, there have been a number of changes. Arsenal's press is cleaner, less frantic. The chaos that once crept into transitions has receded.
Zubimendi’s arrival also speaks to the Gunners’ evolving recruitment model. Rather than chasing short-term fixes, they’re building a spine for the long term: Odegaard, Rice, Zubimendi — each entering their peak years, each technically secure and tactically adaptable.
Choosing Arsenal over Liverpool and Madrid wasn’t just a football decision. It was a symbol: that the project Arteta has built is now stable enough to stand alongside Europe’s giants, enticing players who once would have looked elsewhere for silverware. Zubimendi is not the loudest player on the pitch. He’s the calm inside the storm, the quiet revolution at the heart of Arteta’s midfield — and, maybe, their season’s defining factor.
