Arsenal are expected to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer, while Thomas Partey is likely to put pen to paper on a new contract.
The Gunners want to strengthen their midfield department, and believe essentially replacing Jorginho with Zubimendi is the right way to do so.
Jorginho has a pre-contract agreement with Flamengo and will depart N5 at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will sign Zubimendi for £51 million, with the deal likely to go through shortly after the conclusion of Real Sociedad’s season.
After initially planning to let him go, Partey is now expected to sign a new contract, which will see him remain at the Emirates for at least one more year.
There have been some concerns about how the Ghanaian and the Spaniard will co-exist, so here are three potential ways the Gunners could manage the pair of defensive midfielders next season.
Arsenal could play Martin Zubimendi and Thomas Partey together
While Arsenal are unlikely to field the two together very often, given Mikel Arteta will want to use both Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in the majority of games, it is an option that could be used sporadically.
Zubimendi has developed into a six, playmaking from deep with his metronomic passing and ability to evade the opposition’s press.
However, the 26-year-old has played as an eight throughout his career, and could still fill the left eight role in Arteta’s system from time-to-time.
Adept at receiving the ball in advanced areas and finding creative passes, he’d be capable of playing in this position with Partey sitting behind him.
Conversely, if Arteta wants to ditch using an inverted full-back for a game, instead deploying traditional marauding full-backs, then he could start both players in a double pivot.
This won’t be the default set-up for Arteta, but it’s certainly a great option to have if he wants to rest one of Rice or Odegaard and doesn’t trust Mikel Merino or Ethan Nwaneri.
Arsenal could rotate Martin Zubimendi and Thomas Partey game-to-game
While using them together occasionally is an option, it’s more likely that Arteta could go down the route of rotating the two players on a perpetual basis.
The fixture schedule will be as congested as ever next season, and having two reliable defensive midfielders who can regularly swap in and out with each other could give Arsenal a huge advantage.
While rivals Manchester City and Liverpool will potentially be solely relying on the likes of Rodri and Ryan Gravenberch to play almost every minute, the Gunners will have two players available to them who won’t have to be overburdened and will get significant rest between matches.
With Arsenal looking to compete on all four fronts next season, there’ll be plenty of minutes for both Zubimendi and Partey with this strategy.
Thomas Partey could become Martin Zubimendi’s deputy
Perhaps the most plausible outcome is that Partey merely takes a step back and plays a significantly less prominent role in the team.
Zubimendi has the ability to assume the number six role permanently, while the 31-year-old Ghana international is declining and beginning to show signs of physical vulnerability.
It makes sense in terms of the natural progression of the team from a squad-building perspective that Partey takes a back seat next season.
The Gunners will be investing a significant outlay on Zubimendi, and this should be represented in his role at the North London club.
The concern may be that Partey will likely still be one of Arsenal’s highest earners, yet he’ll be playing more of a sporadic role.
However, Arteta will merely view having a player with that experience in the squad as extremely valuable, and he’ll certainly be one of the better back-up midfielders in the Premier League.
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