Martin Zubimendi is already one of the best midfielders on the scene and has a bright future ahead of him, which led Real Madrid to set their sights on him as the new Toni Kroos. He was Xabi Alonso’s favorite, but Arsenal was well into negotiations, the white team arrived late, and the player is now officially part of Mikel Arteta’s team.
Now the reasons why the player did not end up at the Santiago Bernabéu have been revealed. Zubimendi and his decision to join ArsenalIn his first statements as a player for the English club, Zubimendi said that when he made his decision, he chose Arsenal because it “fits well with his style.” “From the moment you set foot at Arsenal, you realize its magnitude.
I’ve been treated incredibly well. I had no hesitation in saying yes,“ explained the San Sebastian native. As for his style, he described himself as a ”fairly complete“ player. ”I can play alone or with others. I’m hard-working, I try to bring balance to the team. You’ll see,” he added.
He also had words for his new coach, Mikel Arteta. “We have a lot in common: the city, the teams we’ve played for… We’ll have a lot to talk about. Beyond that, it doesn’t really matter,” he said. He also had words for his national team teammate, Mikel Merino, with whom he will now share a team: “I’m very happy to be playing with him, I’ve played a lot of games alongside him. I hope he makes the adjustment much easier for me.“
Admiration for Xabi Alonso
”I’ve always said that he was my idol and that I was lucky to have been able to train with him in the reserve team during a very important year,” said Zubimendi a few weeks ago when his future was still undecided. Upon his arrival at the English club, he once again mentioned the Real Madrid coach as his favorite Spanish player of all time. There will always be the question of how they would have worked together in the white shirt, although, according to the latest information, it was never an option.
The reason why Real Madrid did not make a move
The fact is that Real Madrid always had doubts about whether or not to go to the market to sign a midfielder, considering that it already has many players in that position, such as Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Ceballos, Arda Güler, Brahim Bellingham… With Arda Güler’s good performances, the arrival of a number five was put on hold, but now it seems to be back on the table after what we saw in the match against PSG.
According to journalist Alberto Pereiro on Onda Cero, the main reason why Zubimendi did not arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu was because “Real Madrid never wanted to sign Zubimendi.” This is a surprising statement considering that for months there was speculation about the player’s signing, with talk even of contacts being made. However, it is true that Real Madrid was never willing to pay the €60 million release clause demanded by Real Sociedad.