After beating Brentford on New Year’s Day, Arsenal they failed to win any of their next three games.
by Mikel Arteta draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at Premier League and then lost to Newcastle and Manchester United in League Cup and FA Cuprespectively.
Despite the concessions in each of these games, the biggest problem is proving to be the Gunners’ attack and while the team’s captain Martin Odegaard He looked better against the Red Devils – saved his horrendous penalty, that is – looked some of his impressive best this year.
His poor form is no doubt partly down to the ankle injury he picked up earlier in the season, but it could also be down to the midfield being cut and changed around him, so recent reports have linked the club with someone who could be key team next season and a dream teammate should excite the fans.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report by talkSPORT’s Chief Football Correspondent Alex CrookArsenal are seriously interested in signing Real Sociedad star Martin Zoubimenti this summer.
In fact, Crook goes a step further, claiming that personal terms are “already in place” with the player and that Liverpool are now “not expected to reconsider their interest”.
Crook did not say how much the transfer could cost, but in another report from earlier today, journalist Sami Mokbel revealed that the Gunners will triggering his £51m release clause to the Spaniard’s contract in the summer.
It’s undoubtedly a lot of money, but given Zubimendi’s ability, it could prove to be more than worth it, especially as he could be a dream team-mate for Odegaard.
Why Zubimendi would be an ideal teammate
So there are a number of reasons why Zubimendi would be a great teammate for Odegaard in this Arsenal team, the first being that they have already played together.
Before joining the Gunners in 2021, the Norwegian conductor spent the 19/20 season on loan with Real Sociedad, where he played with Mikel Merino in a midfield that the then 25-year-old Spaniard they joined towards the end of the campaign.
The second reason he would be a great teammate is that he is rarely out injured, having failed just ten games from the start of the 20/21 campaign.
This is incredibly important as his ability to start games every week should help him build football relationships with his new team-mates, maintain a sense of continuity within the squad and help build momentum.
As they say, availability is the best skill.
Finally, as his underlying numbers show, the “world-class” international, as dubbed by Spanish football writer Alexandra Jonsonhe is capable of fulfilling both the defensive and attacking responsibilities of playing at the base of midfield, thus allowing Odegaard to focus his attention on what is happening at the sharp end of the pitch.
For example, according to FBrefthe 25-year-old is in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League for success rate and percentage of aerial duels won, top 10% for percentage of dribblers tackled, top 11% for yards, top 12% for blocked passes, top 15% for blocked shots and others, all per 90.
|
Zubimendi’s FBref Scouting Report |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Per 90 |
One hundred |
|
Successful withdrawal % |
70.6% |
top 5% |
|
% of aerials won |
66.3% |
top 5% |
|
Average shooting 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% |
|
The antennas won |
1.70 |
Top 13% |
|
Shots Blocked |
0.48 |
top 15% |
Ultimately, he may not make a difference this season, but the news that Arsenal are set to sign Zubimendi in the summer should get fans seriously excited, as with him in the squad, Odegaard could have more license to to go ahead and play to the max. potential.
2025-01-14 20:41:00
