Zubimendi substitute: Arsenal is in the lead to sign the “duel monster” for £34 million.
Even though Arsenal missed out on winning the Premier League for a record two times in a row this year, it was still a season of growth for them.
Mikel Arteta’s club scored the second-most goals in the Premier League, had the best defense in the league, and won the most games of any Arsenal team in team history.
They still couldn’t defeat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team, though, and if they want to win the league title after a 20-year wait, they will need to add more players in the off-season.
The club has been linked to a number of talented players since the transfer season opened last month, including one about whom there have been persistent rumors about a possible move.
Update on Arsenal’s transfers
It has been reported in recent weeks that Arsenal is still very interested in Martin Zubimendi, the Spanish midfielder for Real Sociedad.
The 25-year-old had previously been connected to a move to the Emirates; however, those rumors have cooled off in recent weeks, leading to the most recent claim that Arteta’s team is still interested in pursuing a move for the talented player.
Given that Zubimendi has a €60 million (£51 million) release clause in his current contract, the Spaniard may be available for a very reasonable price.
But according to a recent report from TuttoMercadoWeb, the Gunners have reportedly focused on Zubimendi’s teammate Mikel Merino after emerging as the “main contenders” for his signature.
According to the report, the 28-year-old, who might be available for as little as £40 million (£34 million), has thrived in La Liga, with five goals and three assists in his 32 games played last season.
He had previously gone through a difficult period in England with Newcastle United, but he has rekindled his career in Spain and appears to be the ideal Zubimendi replacement at the Emirates.
Why Merino would make the ideal substitute for Zubimendi
Now that Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have established themselves as regular starts for Arteta’s team, the Spaniard is searching for a third player to round out his midfield trio.
While Zubimendi has occasionally appeared to be the most likely player to move to North London, his statistics pale in comparison to those of teammate Merino.
The former Magpie standout made three more goals and three more assists in total. However, he also completed more forward passes, a number that would have been ideal for attackers like Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
In addition, Merino has proven his outstanding ball-winning skills by outscoring Zubimendi in tackles and winning more than 100 aerial duels, earning the moniker “duel monster” from analyst Ben Mattinson.
He’s shown to be a great player both with and without the ball, and the £34 million price tag is thought to be a good deal for a player of his caliber.
Though he’s generated some metrics that his fellow countryman couldn’t equal, the reported sum is also less than that of Zubimendi, which may allow Arsenal to sign a top player at
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