How ‘total footballer’ Martin Zubimendi has changed the way Arsenal play, which Gunners team-mate is benefiting massively from his presence, the secrets of Spaniard’s quick adaptation off the pitch and the trick he does in training

Back in January, as Arsenal’s title challenge collapsed, Mikel Arteta was already thinking about the future.

He rarely loses sight of the long game, and his pursuit of Martin Zubimendi – months of persuasion and patience to lure the Spanish midfield maestro – is already paying off.

As Daily Mail Sport reported in January, the Gunners had all but agreed a deal for the midfielder, which was expected to be finalized this summer. It took time. They had to fight against Real Madrid and Liverpool. And it took £60m in July – £9m more on his release clause – to lure the player away from the Basque region where he grew up.

Arteta’s impassioned speech over the phone, detailing how the 26-year-old would operate in Arsenal’s midfield, proved decisive. As was the player’s belief that silverware was within reach at the north London club.

The result? Arsenal’s answer to Manchester City’s Rodri: a measured, metronomic number 6 whose arrival took their system from competitive to controlling.

Zubimendi’s positional intelligence and defensive timing – snapping at opponents’ heels, stealing from them terrier-style – quickly became the first gear in Arteta’s machine. Crucially, it also allowed Declan Rice to wreak havoc further up the pitch.

Arsenal beat Liverpool and Real Madrid thanks to the £60m signing of Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in July

The Gunners didn’t just bring in another midfielder when they signed Zubimendi. They may have recruited this missing part of their identity. Their best purchase since Rice? No doubt. The Premier League signing of the summer? You could make your case for it.

Some players take time to adapt to a foreign league. A peer of Florian Wirtz in Liverpool, for example, puts Zubimendi’s assimilation into perspective. His clarity in possession, especially under pressure, stabilized Arsenal’s build-up and gave them a calmness in transition that they often lacked.

Arteta said Daily Mail Sport: ‘You have to adapt to the league on a physical and emotional level. It’s not easy. You come to another club, to another country, he has never left home. You have to manage all that. He did it brilliantly.

‘For what? Because he’s such a good character who connected with everyone so quickly. And then his qualities, he is such a talented and intelligent player who understands straight away. He must continue like this because he can still improve and do a lot more for the team.

The influence of the defensive midfielder in the final third was also a bonus. That wasn’t the main reason Zubimendi was hired. But he scored a right-footed volley from outside the box against Nottingham Forest early in the season and added a headed effort later in the match to seal the victory.

He became a threat in the box and was unlucky not to score against Sunderland before the international break when his strike hit the crossbar. Arteta added: “The last game (against Sunderland) is a great example. He hits the bar, he puts one very close to the post. He has another action that he dribbles inside and shoots with his right foot. On set pieces, he was also very good. We need that: a total player.

Zubimendi arrived with a resume that had data analysts and coaches purring for a long time. At Real Sociedad he ranked among La Liga players. Most Consistent Drivers: Fourth in passes (1,752), completed passes (1,479) and touches (2,197) in the 2024-25 campaign.

So it’s no surprise that Liverpool and Real Madrid have made the rounds. Madrid’s interest was informed by his former mentor Xabi Alonso; Liverpool saw a long-term heir to rebuilding their own midfield. It even featured the Reds pitch showing Zubimendi, an avid mountaineer, photos of Mount Urgull, one of the many peaks he enjoys climbing in the area.

Zubimendi in action for Real Sociedad, where he has consistently been among La Liga’s best passers

With Arsenal manager Gabriel Heinze and boss Arteta, who also played for La Real, earlier this month.

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Yet when it mattered, his choice was clear – helped by the fact that he and Arteta played for La Real – and even started at the same youth club, Antiguoko. The couple formed an instant and strong connection. “Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal,” Zubimendi told the club’s website. “Their style of play suits me: a young and ambitious team with their best years ahead of them.”

Arteta was equally unequivocal, calling him “a player who will bring enormous quality and footballing intelligence”. Inside London Colney, the message was even clearer: this was not a deep signing. It was a cornerstone.

Sources close to the player first noticed his physique. From a distance it appears thin and tiny; Yet in person he’s sturdier than expected – strong enough to compete in the air despite being 5-foot-11. In training, it is said that these tight three-yard passes that wipe out two opponents have already become a feature.

Off the pitch, he quickly settled in among the club’s Spanish cohort, including Mikel Merino, who initially recommended him to Arteta, and reconnected with another former Real Sociedad teammate, Martin Odegaard.

Naturally, when talking about modern No. 6s, one point of reference is inevitable: Rodri, the Ballon d’Or winning center for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. In profile, the resemblance is striking: high-pass volumes, calm under pressure, intelligent positioning.

The statistics reflect this. In his 11 Premier League matches so far, Zubimendi has completed 702 passes with an accuracy of 89 percent. Only Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest has completed more passes (786). Among Arsenal midfielders, he ranks No.1 for tackles (21), interceptions (12) and involvement in open play sequences (456).

Yes, Rodri remains the reference. But Zubimendi looks like the Arsenal variant – the version designed specifically for the intricacies and tempo Arteta wants.

His influence is visible in Rice’s transformation. Last season, Rice was everywhere: protecting the backline, pressing high, carrying the ball, arriving late in the box. The result was brilliant, but unsustainable – a constant compromise between tasks.

The signing of Zubimendi has allowed Declan Rice to play higher up the pitch this season

Zubimendi is not the loudest player on the field. He is the calm in the storm, the quiet revolution at the heart of Arteta’s midfield.

Arteta has pushed Rice further up the pitch this season, who has already collected two goals and five assists in all competitions. The England midfielder said last month: “I can play No.6 or No.8. I think now I’m more of a box-to-box No.8. The manager has adjusted my position a bit this year, giving me more freedom to go deep but also get into the box when I can.”

Rice had defensive cover last season from Thomas Partey, but Zubimendi – more competent at not getting dragged out of the team’s shape and leaving spaces when coming out – has provided a consistent anchor that allows Rice to chase and attack with fewer defensive handbrake moments.

It’s not just Rice. Overall, there have been a number of changes. The Arsenal press is cleaner, less frenetic. The chaos that once crept into transitions has receded.

Zubimendi’s arrival also demonstrates the evolution of the Gunners’ recruitment model. Rather than looking for short-term solutions, they are building a spine for the long term: Odegaard, Rice, Zubimendi – each entering their peak years, each technically secure and tactically adaptable.

Choosing Arsenal over Liverpool and Madrid wasn’t just a footballing decision. It was a symbol: the project Arteta built is now stable enough to compete with European giants, attracting players who would once have sought silverware elsewhere. Zubimendi is not the loudest player on the field. He is the calm inside the storm, the quiet revolution at the heart of Arteta’s midfield – and, perhaps, the defining factor of their season.