Arsenal risk repeating a painful Granit Xhaka mistake with Martin Zubimendi
Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has had a difficult season so far. The Spanish World Cup winner has made seven Premier League appearances this year, but has yet to start. Plus, he's only made one start in the Champions League, too.
It's been a disappointing start for the 27-year-old after a season when he made 57 appearances in all competitions, including an appearance in every single Premier League game. The signing of Bruno Guimaraes in the summer really hurt Zubimendi's minutes, as Declan Rice now plays as the more defensive midfielder, alongside Guimaraes and Martin Odegaard.
This lack of game time has sparked transfer reports suggesting that Arsenal could sell the Spanish international in the January transfer window. Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have all been linked with Zubimendi, as it's been suggested that Arsenal could sell him in order to prioritise spending money on an attacker.
It feels like Granit Xhaka all over again
In 2023, Arsenal had a similar situation, as they had Granit Xhaka, who'd previously been a mainstay in the Gunners' midfield, start to lose his starting role. Arsenal had brought in Martin Odegaard and Jorginho to play alongside Thomas Partey in midfield.
As a result, Xhaka was sold in the summer of 2023 to Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of just £12.5 million. He then went on to win a Bundesliga title with Leverkusen, before joining Sunderland last season, and being arguably the signing of the season in the Premier League at the age of 34.
It led many Arsenal fans to question why they let Xhaka go in the first place, and the current situation with Zubimendi feels very similar. Both play a possession-based defensive midfield style, both are good at winning the ball, and both are good leaders with experience of winning trophies.
If Arsenal were to sell Zubimendi to the likes of Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, it would be no surprise if he were to go and win a La Liga title or a Champions League. Furthermore, god forbid Arsenal sold him to Chelsea and the Blues went on to win a title with Zubimendi as a key part of their midfield, Arsenal fans would never let the club live it down.
He's not getting the game time right now, but Arteta needs to make sure he gets more minutes to keep him happy, because if he were to request a transfer, it could end up being a mistake that Arsenal come to regret in the future.
