Arsenal wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi for a long while, and it’s fair that Mikel Arteta was glad to get the deal over the line.
The Spaniard arrived in N5 from his boyhood club Real Sociedad to bolster Arsenal’s midfield.
After key exits, it was clear that sporting director Andrea Berta needed to address the depth in central midfield, signing Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.
It’s thought that Zubimendi will be a starter in the engine room alongside Declan Rice, with work already well underway to get the 26-year-old acclimatised to his new club.
- READ MORE: Arsenal’s new best starting XI takes shape as Norgaard and Zubimendi sign and Gyokeres deal nears
Mikel Arteta is already impressed with Martin Zubimendi
Zubimendi is ready to impress at Arsenal, which is something the midfielder is already achieving.
Alongside fellow new signings Kepa Arrizabalaga and Norgaard, the ex-Sociedad star travelled to Singapore for the first leg of Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the Gunners’ upcoming friendly against AC Milan, Arteta revealed the ‘long process’ it took to acquire Zubimendi’s signature.
“It was a long process, and he had a lot of opportunities to decide about whether he wanted to come,” Arteta explained.
“The good news is that this club is amazing and everyone wants to come to it. He left some very good opportunities to come to us.”
The Arsenal manager then revealed that the Spain international is already impressing coaching staff for reasons beyond his on-field quality.
“We are all very impressed about what we have seen over the last 7-10 days,” the boss said.
“Because once you have the player daily and you see his character, his personality, his character and how much he is going to bring to the team. Very excited about it.”
Zubimendi was a crucial part of Sociedad’s success over the years, being a leading figure in midfield, with his character already shining through at his new club.
Arteta isn’t the first to comment on Zubimendi’s personality
While Arsenal continue to learn what Zubimendi can offer aside from being a top number six, outsiders will be unsurprised to hear Arteta’s latest feedback.
The boss is impressed by his new signing’s character, something the 26-year-old was known for back in Spain.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Zubimendi’s former coach Aitor Zulaika described the Spaniard as a ‘complete person’ as well as a ‘complete player’.
“The first thing to say about Martin is that he is a complete person as well as being a complete player,” Zulaika said.
“He has four characteristics which are not easy to bring together. He is a very humble and simple person, but he is also very proud and has a really strong personality.
“You don’t often find players with all those qualities together. Martin is one.”
Zubimendi is set to play a leading role at Arsenal, with the early signs showing exactly why the Gunners pushed so hard to land his signature.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
