Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, with the midfielder saying the Gunners’ style of play attracting him to the Emirates.
The long-awaited move was finally announced on Sunday, with the 26-year-old expected to sign for Arsenal for some months.
That was despite interest from Real Madrid, who tried to beat the Gunners to the Spain international, but ultimately failed to persuade him to stay in Spain.
New Real boss Xabi Alonso is a big fan of the midfielder, having worked with him at Real Sociedad when he was in charge of the B team from 2019-22.
Zubimendi, who had the chance to join Liverpool last summer but turned it down, says it is the way Arsenal play under Mikel Arteta that has brought him to the club.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
‘This is a huge moment in my career,’ he said. ‘It’s the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are.
‘I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come.’
Zubimendi had a release clause in his Real Sociedad contract set at £51m, but Arsenal have reportedly paid slightly more than that in order to held fend off the interest from Real Madrid.
Speaking of his new signing, Arteta said: ‘Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team. He will fit in really well and he has all the attributes to be a key player for us.
‘The standard he has consistently performed at over the last few seasons for both club and country is exactly why we are so excited to have him with us. We all welcome Martin and his family to the club.’
Sporting Director, Andrea Berta, said: ‘We are so happy to bring Martin to Arsenal and have a lot of pride in finalising this transfer. Martin was a key target for us and we all know that he is a perfect fit for our squad with the high quality he has.
‘We welcome Martin and his family to the club. We look forward to him settling in with his teammates and are very excited to see him playing in an Arsenal shirt.’
More to follow…
