Arsenal have finally announced the signing of Spanish central midfielder Martin Zubimendi after months of speculation.
Gunners fans can now see Zubimendi wearing the club colours on their official site as a deal we’ve all known about for a long time can now finally be made official.
Zubimendi has joined from La Liga club Real Sociedad, becoming Arsenal’s second signing of the summer, with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga announced a few days ago.
Still, credit must go to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, who reported on the Zubimendi deal being done for this summer all the way back in January, while he was still working for the Mail.
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal to land Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi at the end of the season. Details here:
— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel_BBC) January 14, 2025
It’s taken some time for everything to be finalised, but Zubimendi is here now and he’s spoken on Arsenal’s website about why he joined.
Martin Zubimendi speaks out on Arsenal transfer
“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,” Zubimendi said on Arsenal.com.
“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.”
Zubimendi singles out former teammates Odegaard and Merino
Zubimendi has also played with two current Arsenal players before at Sociedad – Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino. Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya is also a fellow Spain international.
Merino also moved from Sociedad to Arsenal last summer, while Odegaard spent time on loan at the Basque club earlier in his career.
Zubimendi says he’s glad to be working with those two again as it should help make it easier for him to settle in north London.
“I’m happy to be here with them. I’ve played many games alongside Merino over the years,” he added.
“It’s important because it will make the transition much easier for me, and I’m sure they’ll be a great help.”
