Arsenal are having a very mixed season so far. Injuries have not helped Mikel Arteta’s cause but that is not an excuse, considering the number of years he has been building this project. The Gunners are already out of the FA Cup, almost out of the Carabao Cup and this makes only the Premier League and the Champions League a possibility.
The North London side are languishing behind Liverpool, quite significantly in the Premier League and if they are to make a comeback and find a way to win the English league, they would have to go near perfect from here on. To do this, Mikel Arteta might have to make smart acquisitions in the January transfer market, especially in some key areas.
While a number nine might be the pressing need as things stand, it looks like Arsenal are making plans for the future. Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad has been of interest to the Gunners for a long time and it has now emerged that Mikel Arteta has played a pivotal role in convincing the Basque club midfielder to join them next season.
Finally, a Jorginho replacement!
So far this season, Mikel Arteta has often chosen to play both Jorginho and Thomas Partey in midfield, alternating with one and another, to have a natural six in the line-up. It is clear by now that the Spanish tactician prefers to use Declan Rice further forward in midfield and the Englishman has performed very well in this role for some time now.
Jorginho is very good as a number six and can control the midfield very well but with his advancing age, he doesn’t have the legs anymore to make up ground and Arsenal need a number six who can control the tempo of a game like the Italian does but at the same time, able to cover ground defensively and perform the complete duty of a number six.
Zubimendi has been a key part of the first team ever since a young age at Real Sociedad and despite not yet entering what one would regard as the prime years of a footballer’s career, he already has enough experience to adapt to the Premier League. The 25-year-old will add a lot of steel to the Arsenal midfield and this transfer makes a lot of sense.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal can get the Zubimendi transfer over the line. The Spaniard would perfectly fit into Mikel Arteta’s tactical template and only time will tell us how it plays out.
