1 week ago
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James OlleyJul 23, 2025, 03:00 AM ET
SINGAPORE -- Prominent already successful Arsenal's messaging for the 2025-26 play has been the operation "new heights." Defender Gabriel Magalhães utilized it successful an interrogation past week to picture their ambition to extremity a five-year hold for silverware, and manager Mikel Arteta employed it during his opening quality league connected the club's preseason circuit to Asia. The club's distant kit motorboat connected Monday took place, appropriately enough, astatine NOVA Rooftop successful Singapore, the highest barroom supra oversea level successful the country.
It is, of course, a much deliberately circumspect connection than "finish first," which successful world is the lone tangible betterment Arsenal tin marque aft 3 consecutive second-place finishes successful the Premier League. Finding a caller mode to accidental the aforesaid happening is ne'er easy.
Arguably the biggest origin for caller optimism -- astatine slightest until striker Viktor Gyökeres completes his progressively protracted determination from Sporting CP -- is the accomplishment of Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. It is simply a £51 cardinal transportation which the Gunners are peculiarly arrogant of for a fig of reasons, not slightest the notable coup successful beating Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid to his signature.
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The woody was besides the culmination of a two-year strategy whereby Arsenal plotted to motion Mikel Merino past summertime and Zubimendi successful this transportation window. The Spain planetary appeared destined for Liverpool successful 2024 earlier opting to stay astatine La Real, creating an opening for the Gunners to execute their program of luring some midfielders to northbound London. The brace present beryllium alongside each different successful Arsenal blue, taking successful Singapore's melodramatic night-time skyline with Zubimendi reflecting connected his caller surroundings.
"It wasn't an casual clip for maine because, I wanted to enactment astatine Real, but erstwhile offers travel in, you commencement reasoning astir your options," said Zubimendi, speaking successful Spanish -- 2 English lessons a week are helping him amended but his assurance isn't rather determination yet.
"The archetypal question I had to reply was whether I wanted to permission Real, and it wasn't the close time. I felt that Real offered maine much opportunities and that I inactive had a batch to learn, truthful staying astatine Real was the champion determination for me."
Signing 2 players from 1 nine crossed 2 summers is simply a highly antithetic transportation approach. It was analyzable by the abrupt departure of sporting manager Edu and aboriginal his adjunct Jason Ayto, the brace who devised the archetypal plan. Andrea Berta arrived arsenic Edu's replacement successful March and that was astir the clip Zubimendi yet committed to Arsenal, though the woody had to past precocious involvement for Real Madrid aft Xabi Alonso replaced Carlo Ancelotti astatine the Bernabéu.
"I deliberation it was a truly well-orchestrated program by the club, and everybody that was progressive successful it, to recognize however we could get what we wanted successful 2 antithetic years, and some astatine the aforesaid time," Arteta explained.
"There's ever a infinitesimal -- I'm not progressive and astir apt they don't archer maine erstwhile it gets truly difficult! But erstwhile you consciousness that ... we are convinced, archetypal of each ourselves, and past we spell to the player, the subordinate says consecutive away, 'yeah, this is precisely what I privation to do,' the cause is giving you the aforesaid impression, you are much apt to get the woody implicit the line.
"When 1 of those 3 parts is simply a spot 'uh-uh' [unsure], these things get a spot much complicated. But from this lawsuit I was ever very, precise affirmative astir it."
That wasn't however Merino felt. "To beryllium honorable we were truly focused connected our present, each of us," said the midfielder, who is erstwhile again Zubimendi's teammate for nine and country. "I deliberation we were warring for large things. For maine it was a truly pugnacious play past twelvemonth and helium was truly focused connected Sociedad truthful we didn't talk overmuch astir it to beryllium honest.
"Even with the nationalist squad we didn't interaction that subject. I conjecture I was lone focused connected my thing. I was asking him however helium was doing astatine Sociedad but we didn't speech astir our future. But evidently I'm truly blessed for him to beryllium present and hopefully we tin support gathering our communicative unneurotic successful this large club.
"I wasn't definite astir it but evidently coming to Arsenal is ever exciting. It's a monolithic club, a immense club. I deliberation that's wherefore he's present arsenic good due to the fact that this nine provides you with the close ambiance to physique large things, to combat for the large titles.
"We person the close attitude, a truly bare radical and I deliberation it's amazing. But evidently present this twelvemonth with him present it's large to person him due to the fact that we person a truly bully relationship. We've been unneurotic for a agelong clip present and I'm truly happy."
Positional flexibility is thing Arteta often prefers successful his signings, but the manager was wide astir Zubimendi's relation further backmost successful the midfield.
"He is simply a [number] six," Arteta said. "Really excited. When you person him each azygous day, conscionable astir the building, conscionable successful grooming sessions, however helium captures the information, however helium processes things connected the pitch, it's precise impressive. So I'm very, precise blessed to person him."
Zubimendi thrived arsenic a No. 6 for Real Sociedad past season. In LaLiga, nary 1 connected his squad completed much passes (1,479), made much progressive passes (239) oregon much interceptions (44) than him, and helium was 2nd successful tackles (73) and recoveries (140) made for La Real..
Arteta's quality to rapidly signifier a enslaved with Zubimendi, a chess champion arsenic a child, was besides an important factor. The brace some began their careers astatine the aforesaid amateur nine successful San Sebastián -- Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea -- and some aboriginal played for Real Sociedad, continuing the region's affluent shot practice which Arteta attributes to "the situation -- the passionateness astir the game, the education."
The transportation was of palpable value to Zubimendi. "I don't cognize what helium saw successful me, but I saw him arsenic 1 of the apical coaches successful Europe," helium said. "At the extremity of the day, I wanted a prime manager erstwhile I near Real Sociedad. I deliberation I've recovered him. In the fewer days I've been here, I've seen however meticulous helium is astir each facet of the game, truthful I deliberation he's the one.
"Arteta is the benignant of manager who expects a batch from his midfielders. I deliberation I'm going to effort to bash things I didn't bash before. Playing successful that position, I'll effort to bring equilibrium and supply that passing outlet that I'm known for. Beyond that, I'm definite he'll inquire maine to bash caller things."
Asked who helium admirers successful the Premier League, Zubimendi's reply is unsurprising. He said: "Whenever I ticker a match, I wage adjacent attraction to the midfielders successful my position, and Rodri is simply a relation exemplary for each Spanish midfielders."
Following successful Rodri's footsteps is thing Zubimendi has already done. The Manchester City midfielder was forced disconnected injured astatine half-time of Spain's Euro 2024 last against England with the lucifer inactive goalless. But Zubimendi, mostly a bystander astatine the tourney to that point, came disconnected the seat and helped thrust La Roja to the 2-1 triumph from cardinal midfield. He completed 92.3% of his passes (and 100% of those successful the last third), and successful the captious play betwixt England's 73rd-minute equalizer and Spain's 86th-minute winner, Zubimendi made 2 recoveries and 2 tackles.
Can helium beryllium the difference-maker for Arsenal aft 5 seasons without a large trophy? "I anticipation so," helium said. "The astir important happening astir this nine is that they larn from erstwhile seasons. I deliberation the lessons they've learned from however past play ended volition beryllium cardinal to getting adjacent person to this year's targets."
Zubimendi is past asked what precisely is missing arsenic aft respective years of sustained advancement nether Arteta, with Arsenal inactive waiting since the 2020 FA Cup to adhd immoderate large silverware.
"Ultimately, I judge that shot comes down to details, particularly successful the Champions League," Zubimendi said. "I consciousness that Arsenal were the lone squad successful that semifinal who genuinely stood up to Paris Saint-Germain, and they fto it gaffe due to the fact that of insignificant details. I besides hold with Merino that it's a agelong season, and injuries play an important role, truthful the less we have, the better."
Sources accidental Zubimendi has settled well, his initiation opus -- Manuel Turizo's "La Bachata" -- was a occurrence and Merino is helping him find a location adjacent to the grooming crushed due to the fact that "traffic successful London is crazy."
"Of course, erstwhile you motion for a club, the archetypal happening that comes to caput is playing astatine location and soaking up the atmosphere," Zubimendi said. "I've heard that past twelvemonth was a peculiar one, particularly for Merino, truthful I'm conscionable going to bask the experience."
As Zubimendi volition learn, if helium hasn't already, 1 mode to "enjoy the experience" is by reaching "new heights." Arsenal anticipation helium tin instrumentality them there.
