New Arsenal signing Martin Zubimendi had the chance to join Liverpool last summer but looks back on making the best decision for him at the time.
The 26-year-old signed for the Gunners from Real Sociedad earlier this month, completing a deal worth around £55m.
The 19-cap Spain international has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and came very close to moving to Anfield a year ago.
Liverpool agreed to meet the release clause in his contract at Real Sociedad, but a £51m deal did not go through as the midfielder chose to sign a new contract with the Basque club instead.
A year on and he is a Premier League player with Arsenal, also turning down interest from Real Madrid this summer, and reflects on wanting to remain in San Sebastian and gain more experience before making a big move.
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‘The first question I had to answer was whether I wanted to leave Real, and it wasn’t the right time,’ Zubimendi told BBC Sport.
‘I felt that Real offered me more opportunities and that I still had a lot to learn, so staying at Real was the best decision for me.’
Zubimendi admitted last year that he had some ‘uncomfortable moments’ during the transfer saga, but was comfortable with the decision he made.
‘My philosophy is to do at home at all times what comes from within,’ he told Noticias De Gipuzkoa.
‘I went through uncomfortable moments. The best thing for me was to stay here and I am happy and at peace. Because of the press there is a lot of noise but in the end everything is easer than all that.’
The classy midfielder is now training with his new teammates and getting ready for the Premier League season to get underway next month.
He is already enjoying working under Mikel Arteta, who he identified as someone who would be beneficial to his game before joining Arsenal.
‘I don’t know what he saw in me, but I saw him as one of the top coaches in Europe,’ he said. ‘At the end of the day, I wanted a quality coach when I left Real Sociedad.
‘I think I’ve found him. In the few days I’ve been here, I’ve seen how meticulous he is about every aspect of the game, so I think he’s the one.
Arteta on Zubimendi
‘He had a lot of opportunities to decide whether he wanted to come. The good news is that this club is amazing, and everybody wants to come to it. He left some very good opportunities to come to us.
‘We are all very impressed with what we’ve seen in the last seven to ten days. Once you have the player daily there and you see his character, his personality, his intelligence, and how much he’s going to bring to the team. I’m very excited about it.’
‘I think I’m going to try to do things I didn’t do before,” he said. “Playing in that position, I’ll try to bring balance and provide that passing outlet that I’m known for.
‘Beyond that, I’m sure he’ll ask me to do new things.’
Arsenal take on AC Milan in a pre-season friendly at 12.30pm on Wednesday in Singapore, with Zubimendi set be involved.
