Gunners midfielder finally welcomes new cores? "New Dragon Brother" Zubimendi will become Arteta s key to the championship

As one of the best midfielders in the world, Zubimendi has had rumors with giant teams such as Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, ​​but in the end, Arsenal won this "transfer battle". So, what can this little fellow Arteta bring to Arsenal? Sky Sports author Nick Wright wrote an article to discuss this topic.

In 2024, Zubimendi won the European Cup with Spain and made great progress in both the domestic league and the European arena - he not only helped Real Sociedad win the Spanish Cup, but also played a key role in helping the team return to the Champions League.

Speaking of which, Zubimendi does have many eye-catching traits. The 26-year-old midfielder has excellent ball possession and off-ball performance, perfectly combining his football IQ, technical and tactical abilities with his extremely deceptive physical fitness in the midfield position. In this position, he is not only an excellent pass metronome, but also a solid barrier before the back line.

Of course, this is not Zubimendi's full ability. After talking to his former coach and teammates, you will find that the player's mental attributes, technical and tactical characteristics and physical qualities will eventually make him reach the top of football.

Aitor Zulaika, who once served as the assistant coach of Xavi Alonso in Real Sociedad B, told reporters: "Zubimedi is very comprehensive. He is a complete person and a perfect player."

"He has four characteristics that don't seem to be easy to combine. He is a very humble and simple person. At the same time, he is very confident and has a distinct personality. Maybe it's hard to find a player who can have these qualities at the same time, but Zuubimedi is such a person."

Former Real Sociedad youth training centre-back Benoit, who once played with Zuubimedi, Cachenaut told reporters: "Zubimendi has always been a very comprehensive player. He is skilled, fast, smart and powerful."

"You can see that he has all the qualities of reaching the top of football. In addition to being very good on the court, he is also a very humble person, always smiling and always very friendly."

Benoit Cachenaut also talked about his story of hiding in the hospital after having a knee surgery. He said: "Zubimendi is one of the only teammates who came to visit me." Aitor Zulaika added: "Zubimendi is a very self-disciplined player in the game and is very serious about his work. He is very smart, listens to the coaches, and is polite to everyone." Carlos Martinez, who has played for Real Sociedad more than 200 times, has a similar impression of Zubimendi. He said: "When we watch him play, we can see something different about him, something that attracts the attention of us old players - the way he transfers the ball and his young age show such a compelling personality."

Today, Zubimendi has also made more than 200 appearances for Real Sociedad. As a model professional player, the personality he showed on the field has become one of the key factors that attract Arsenal.

Arsenal needs a No. 6 player with a distinct personality. As Gary Neville said before: "Arsenal has no midfielder who can get the ball in the backcourt."

At the same time, after Jorginho left, Arsenal also urgently needed a player with rich game experience and leadership to stabilize the overall situation in the medium and growth. It is true that Zumdi is 7 years younger than Jorginho, but he has long been used to leading by example at Real Sociedad.

More importantly, Zubimendi looks like she is born to be Arteta's dish. The Arsenal coach and Zubimendi both grew up in San Sebastian, both played for Real Sociedad, and even started their football careers with a team called Antiguoko.

Zubimendi is more like Alonso than Arteta

Arteta was regarded as a star of hope at Antiguoko and went to Lamacia youth training trainees at the age of 15. As for Zubimendi, he didn't shine so much at first.

Recently Vice-Chairman of Antiguoko, Roberto Montiel recalled Zubimendi's childhood experience and said: "Real Sociedad tried him a few times, but did not sign him. At that time, Real Sociedad felt that his ability did not meet the standards of his age. It was not until the age of 14 that when we told Real Sociedad that Atletico Madrid was also interested in Zubimendi, Real Sociedad decided to sign him."

At that time, Zubimendi's physical fitness was stronger and he could better show his talents.

Roberto Montiel said: "Zubimedi can shoot left and right, he is quick-thinking and can always be in the right position on the court. He treats football like Alonso."

Roberto Montiel must have the most say in the matter of "Zubimedi is like Alonso", after all, he has coached Alonso. "I would say that Zubimendi is more like Alonso than Arteta, both as a man and as a player."

" Like Alonso, Zubimendi is an excellent passer, able to make the right and right decisions. He can get the ball and know how to protect the ball. But he is also a little introverted, similar to Alonso, while Arteta is quite outgoing. Therefore, Zubimendi may be a little overlooked."

24/25 season, Zubimendi statistics

At Real Sociedad Youth Training Academy, everything has changed. Zubimendi's self-confidence and physical fitness have been improved. Roberto Montiel recalled: “He was a very good player in the first year and the following year, as a member of the U16 team, he really exploded.”

Aitor Zulaika added: "Everyone on the team knows that he will enter the first team. The quality he showed at that time was as you can see now. He has a very good ball control, can control the game, and has a good pass."

"He has a great defense, he is good in all aspects. He can pass short and long passes. He can drive the ball and break through the opponent's defense and shoot. He has strong running skills, and he has great ground defense and air control skills."

"When he was promoted to Real Sociedad was very young when he was in Real Sociedad. He often played with players three or four years older than him, but he was not afraid at all. "

" He was not very talkative, but it was understandable considering that he was mixed with more senior players. He could speak with football. Not long after, he won his place in the team. Once he got the ball, no one could take it away from him."

Zubimedi quickly gained his own position after being promoted to the first team. He has played for Real Sociedad more for the past three seasons than any other non-goalkeeper.

At the European Cup last year, Zubi Mendi's performance under pressure was even more perfect. In the European Cup final half of Spain against England, Zubimendi seamlessly replaced the injured Rodri.

Carlos Martinez said: "You can see how willing Zubimendi is to take the ball. He has a strong desire to move forward and is brave. He is very confident in his ability."

Aitor Zulaika said: "The only reason he didn't start is just because he has a lower pick than the best player in the world. We all know how strong he is and what he can do on the biggest stage. This is what he did against England."

Zubimendi can play for any team in the world

Zubimendi showed all his skills in the second half of the European Cup final, passing quickly and driving forward in his typical style.

These qualities are also available to Arsenal now. Zubimendi is good at organizing and scheduling in the midfield, just like Thomas and Jorginho. At the same time, he is also a brave and forward-looking passer. In the 24/25 season, Zubimendi compared the passing data of other Arsenal midfielders

Benoit Cachenaut said: "As a central defender, it's so comfortable to play behind Zubimendi. Because he always asks for the ball, and he is never afraid of confrontation."

It can be seen from the statistics. In the 24/25 season, Zubimendi's pass rate was higher than Thomas, Jorginho or Rice, reaching 31.39%. As for his lower pass success rate (84.42%), it's just because he takes more risks.

Among the 24/25 La Liga midfielders, only Pedri, Valverde, Rodrigo and Bellingham - all of whom played for Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid - had more passes than Zubi Mendi.

This level of breakthrough is very valuable to Arsenal, especially in the Premier League, where they have to face a hard-to-break iron wall. Zubimendi is good at speeding up the game, whether through passing the ball or moving forward by himself.

Roberto Montiel said: "I think Zubimendi is the kind of player that Arsenal lacks. They have Rice, Merino, Odgao, but they lack players in the backcourt who can get the ball and pass the ball. Zubimendi is the kind of player they need. He can pass the ball, and more importantly, he has a strong game reading ability, which I think is a very good signing."

Aitor Zulaika added: "There is no doubt. No matter what game, whether it is in the Premier League, La Liga, or European Cup, he will get a place in any team in the world."

Carlos Martinez also said: "There are not many better players in his position than him. He will remind me of Alonso, who can achieve great success in the Premier League. He can cover the central defenders and full-backs. He knows the game very well. If you ask me if he is ready to compete in the Premier League, I will say: No problem."

(Armour)