£38m Arsenal defender could now change his position all because of Martin Zubimendi

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Martin Zubimendi is showing signs of having the potential to be a revolutionary signing for Arsenal.

Though the Spaniard has only made five appearances for his new club so far, he’s impressed in every single one.

Zubimendi was unplayable against Athletic Bilbao, being one of Arsenal’s best performers in a terrific team display in the Emirates Cup. 

The real test for Arsenal’s new signing will be at Old Trafford on the opening day of the 2025/26 season, with his Premier League arrival also having the potential to impact one of his teammates’ roles.

• READ MORE: Arsenal now told exactly why Liverpool allowed them to sign Martin Zubimendi ahead of them

Adrian Clarke noticed Martin Zubimendi’s impact on Jurrien Timber

Declan Rice will be overjoyed to have Zubimendi as his new midfield partner.

The Euro 2024 winner has implied that he feels the same, as Zubimendi has been impressed by Rice and Martin Odegaard. 

Though it’s obvious that the Spaniard will have the greatest impact on those in central areas, he could also impact those on the right side.

Speaking on The Athletic’s Handbrake Off podcast, former Gunner Adrian Clarke revealed one thing he noticed about Zubimendi during Arsenal’s win over Athletic Bilbao. 

“I liked him pulling out to right back,” Clarke said.

“Sometimes we saw Timber to invert into central midfield, which he doesn’t always do. But whenever he fancied doing that, Zubimendi pulled into the right back and we saw him link well with Saka a couple of times.”

Clarke saw the quality Zubimendi offered when slipping into the right-back role, an in-play tactical switch that allowed Jurrien Timber to fly forward in midfield. 

Timber’s versatility is one of Arsenal’s £38m signing’s greatest assets, with the arrival of Zubimendi having the potential to allow him to further explore taking up central positions.

To conclude waxing lyrical about Zubimendi, Clarke dubbed the 26-year-old ‘pretty majestic’.

“So yeah, it was a pretty majestic performance, as I say, from Zubimendi against opponents, albeit that he would have been familiar with it.

“In the Premier League, it might be tougher physically, speed-wise, but he looks like he’s gonna be a big old upgrade, doesn’t he? Which is fantastic.”

More to come from Timber in midfield?

We’ve seen how Myles Lewis-Skelly finds joy venturing infield on the left, but we don’t see Timber doing it as freely as his teammate.

Now, the dynamic could change, as Zubimendi has clearly been instructed to drop back to allow the Dutch fullback to venture forward more than usual.

Interestingly, Timber’s quality in midfield has been exploited before, as at U17 level, the defender was deployed as a defensive midfielder twice, scoring on one of those occasions.

Like Lewis-Skelly, who is a midfielder by trade, Timber is a strong dribbler, a powerful runner and has exemplary technical ability, giving Arteta some food for thought when his side are attacking this season.