Is Zubimendi Arsenal’s best player?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Martin Zubimendi has scored six goals for Arsenal this seasonByAlex HowellArsenal reporter and Umir IrfanFootball tactics correspondent
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Mikel Arteta recently hinted that Arsenal‘s “best player” is somebody who has only been with the club a matter of months – summer signing Martin Zubimendi.
It may have gone unnoticed at the time but, speaking after the Gunners’ tight 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in October, manager Arteta lavished praise on the £60m midfield man – saying Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta had been tasked with defending Arsenal’s “best player”.
It is for good reason that Arteta rates one of his more recent signings so highly. Zubimendi has been justifying his manager’s comments since signing from boyhood club Real Sociedad in July 2025.
The 27-year-old has played the most minutes of any of Arsenal’s outfield players and has been chipping in with goals too.
And that goal return may have come as a surprise, with Zubimendi signed primarily as a defensive midfielder but now having scored six times in 34 appearances – the most he has registered during any campaign in his career.
Arsenal and Arteta made a big play to recruit Zubimendi and started the work to try to sign him 12 months before he arrived at the club, initially discussing the possibility when they were completing a deal for his Sociedad team-mate Mikel Merino in the summer of 2024.
Zubimendi was brought in to be a crucial component of the Arsenal squad, with his passing ability, on-pitch intelligence and history of winning important trophies.
Indeed, the Spain international played an important role in his country beating England in the Euro 2024 final.
His signing has also given midfield team-mate Declan Rice the licence to take his attacking game to the next level.
How does Zubimendi fit in?
By
Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent
Arteta has spoken previously about how chaos and attacking more directly were effective ways for Arsenal to create chances when Zubimendi’s influence was blunted by being man-marked.
And from this we can infer that Zubimendi – Arsenal’s “best player” – is most important when it comes to breaking down teams in the manner Arteta prefers, with measured, sustained possession.
Zubimendi was pursued by Liverpool in 2024 and Reds boss Arne Slot made no secret of his desire for a defensive midfielder who is able to receive the ball behind strikers pressing his defenders, rather than coming to get the ball. Zubimendi excels at this.
And the former Sociedad man’s ability to sprint at the right time in order to show for the ball before progressing play – whether through a first-time pass, a timely dribble or a punchy pass through the line – has elevated Arsenal’s build-up this season.
Meanwhile, aerially, Zubimendi directs headers with a level of finesse, finding team-mates rather than simply looking to head the ball away.
Zubimendi sprints to find separation from his marker before receiving a pass from goalkeeper David Raya in a more dangerous, but more promising, position compared to the central defenders. His first-time pass finds the left centre-back free
Build-up play and the ability to break up attacks is to be expected of a £60m defensive midfielder but the way Arteta has used Zubimendi as an attacking tool has stood out, suggesting this is an area where marginal gains can be found in football going forward.
Zubimendi, Rice and Martin Odegaard’s positions on paper may seem obvious but they show flexibility, built upon the versatility of all three players and their understanding of when to move – similar to the Paris St-Germain midfield that won the Champions League last season.
Odegaard drops deep, splitting the centre-backs to aid in build-up. Bukayo Saka drops deep from the right wing with Zubimendi and Rice in central midfield positions
William Saliba plays a one-two with Saka and Zubimendi runs into a right-wing position vacated by Saka before finding Viktor Gyokeres. With Saka and Zubimendi swapping positions, the team’s balance is maintained
Arsenal’s players rotate positions to make it difficult for opponents to pick them up. They aim to maintain the balance of the side while playing in this fluid manner. Zubimendi, like the others, vacates his position based on the movements of team-mates.
By dropping into a deep position against Chelsea, Bukayo Saka opened up space on the right flank to allow Zubimendi to push into this area. Rice, the far-side midfielder, filled in at defensive midfield, ensuring Arsenal’s shape remained similar, only with different players arriving in each zone.
It is unusual to see a defensive midfielder make such adventurous runs off the ball but it appears to be the next step on from the more popular use of roaming full-backs, such as Riccardo Calafiori, Nuno Mendes and Marc Cucurella.
The logic is that the players often tasked with marking defensive players are unlikely to defend them as closely. Finding defensive players who possess attacking quality to contribute in the final third is a rarity but Zubimendi has the skillset to punish teams in this way.
Defences set up in a low block will often drop even deeper when faced with a winger or forward trying to run in-behind. It leads to space opening up in front of the defence, rather than in the box.
Arsenal spend large parts of the game looking to unlock deep defences. This allows Zubimendi to arrive into a position to receive a pass, without being picked up, before executing on the idea he has in his head immediately. This could be a precise through ball or a dinked chip over the top – riskier passes that pose new questions for deep defences.
Alternatively, when Zubimendi sits at the base of midfield, Rice is free to push up and rotate with the attackers, knowing there is protection behind him.
And the England man will likely feel safe to play freely after seeing his 5ft 9in team-mate beat 6ft 6in Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade to a header earlier this season.
Meanwhile, Zubimendi’s willingness to shoot from distance provided Arsenal with the much-needed opening goal against Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, after which more space opened up for the Gunners with their opposition forced to play more adventurously.
Arteta stated “if the space is not in one place, it will be somewhere else” – and against deep defences, long shots have become an increasingly viable tactic this season.
Signing Zubimendi, therefore, could not have been more timely.
In yellow, Calafiori and Rice run into the box from left-back and left central midfield respectively, bringing Sunderland’s defenders with them. This creates time and space for Zubimendi, who scores with a long-range shot
Arteta heaps praise on ‘impressive’ Zubimendi
Arteta has never been shy in praising Zubimendi.
The midfielder’s six goals this season also match the tally he scored for Real Sociedad in his last two seasons at the club (six goals in 93 games).
Zubimendi got the opening goals against Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Sunderland, while he also scored Arsenal’s third in the 3-2 win over Chelsea in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
“I think when we talk about Zubi, what else can he do? He can do whatever he wants. It’s a bit similar to Declan’s qualities,” Arteta stated, speaking after that match.
“We just have to keep unlocking that in his system, in his brain, because he’s so good at occupying different spaces, he’s carrying the ball, dribbling, winning duels, and he has a talent when he gets into the final third and into the box. He’s so composed. He sees the picture very clear.
“The picture actually is clear sometimes that I know the parts of the pitch and what he’s done today. I think it’s phenomenal, not only the ball but the performance as well.”
The midfielder is tasked with stopping opponents’ attacks and starting Arsenal’s, and with the final part of the season approaching and trophies on the line, he could be more important than ever.
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