Martin Zubimendi's first words after completing Arsenal transfer

Martin Zubimendi has joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad on a five-year contractto be their new key defensive midfield addition. The Spaniard will become the new starting number six in the squad following a midfield overhaul.

football.london understands that Mikel Arteta was critical in convincing Zubimendi that Arsenal was indeed the correct club to join following a U-turn on a switch to Liverpool in the summer of 2024. He is expected to be joined by fellow summer addition, hoped to be confirmed soon, of Christian Norgaard from Brentford who will operate as solid competition in the six role.

Speaking to the club’s website after his move from Real Sociedad was confirmed, Zubimendi said: “Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” our new midfielder said in his first interview.

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“It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. Andrea [Berta] and Mikel [Arteta] took excellent care of me, leaving me with no doubts whatsoever.

“This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it's a big change, but I'm ready to get started.”

On Arteta he said: “We have a lot in common. We come from the same city and played for the same teams. We'll have something to talk about off the pitch, I'm happy about that.”

Zubimendi will join the team for pre-season training and subsequently the pre-season tour of Asia, where the team will play games against AC Milan, Newcastle, and Tottenham Hotspur. He could make his debut in any of the matches as Mikel Arteta looks to take the midfield to new levels. Zubimendi follows Kepa Arrizabalaga as the club’s first two signings and is expected to be the second of several summer additions.