Martin Zubimendi pursuit is sadly more of the same from Mikel Arteta, Arsenal

Martin Zubimendi's a talented player, but Arsenal won't change with another defensive midfielder.

The race to sign Real Sociedad midfield gem Martin Zubimendi appears to be Arsenal's to lose. At least according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, who isn't warming to rumors Real Madrid are threatening to spoil the party:

"Without wanting to discredit the reporting of others, I personally haven’t heard this. Arsenal are expecting Zubimendi to join in the summer. I don’t know if that means it is completely done but for some time now they have been working on the basis that he will be coming in and a huge amount of work went into getting them to that point – while Edu was still in position as sporting director and subsequently when Jason Ayto took over on an interim basis"

David Ornstein

All good, right? Well, not quite. For how talented Zubimendi is, his transfer to Arsenal would be depressingly familiar on two levels.

The first concerns how Mikel Arteta's team plays.

Arsenal's playing style needs to progress

Days of awe and wonder have long since passed Arsenal. Arteta's apparent revolution has been less about style and more about form and function.

He's made the squad taller, more physical and possessing know-how from set-pieces and in defensive areas. All of those changes were welcome after years of pint-sized pass-masters getting pushed around by the big nasties of the Premier League, but change always comes at a cost.

For Arsenal, the cost has been losing the artistry, the suave buccaneering technical quality that transformed the club on Arsene Wenger's watch. Today's Arsenal isn't anywhere close to as stylish, but rather more efficient in a pedestrian way.

Things have shifted because of the way Arteta has constructed his squad. He's trusted muscle and mechanics over vision and verve. Direct endeavour above imaginative impudence.

Nowhere has this change in emphasis been more obvious than in midfield. If Wenger never saw a No. 10 he didn't like, Arteta has yet to meet the No. 6 he doesn't want to sign.

Enter Zubimendi, whose finer qualities are more concentrated in defensive work. Those qualities were outlined in detail by the Coaches' Voice:

"He is aggressive, assertive and fully committed to leaving his space, or man, to compete for possession. He has good timing with his jumps from the back line to apply pressure in midfield, supporting counter-pressing. As he does this, he also intelligently covers passing lanes to limit forward-passing opportunities, as opposed to simply blindly running at the ball.

When positioned deeper, he provides good overall protection of the central spaces – an important asset for a lone pivot. He duels in the air to an impressive standard and, when leaving the spaces ahead of the central defence, can be aggressive in the tackle"

Coaches' Voice

The same source also noted how "the detail in Zubimendi’s short passing is impressive."

It doesn't take much reading between the lines to discern a pattern here. Zubimendi is a disruptor out of possession who plays it safe in small spaces when on the ball.

None of those things spell progression. None of those things turn an already solid team on the cusp of trophies into perennial hoarders of silverware.

That kind of transformation only comes from the kind of transfers Arteta has long been reluctant to make.

Arteta's transfer approach needs to change

You only need cast your mind back to last summer for the answer to why Arsenal are destined to remain in runners-up purgatory. At least on the domestic front.

It all goes back to a stunted transfer policy. One that's not undermined by available funds, but more by the manager's preference for no-frills, functional signings over boom-or-bust match winners.

Let's use Sir Alex Ferguson as a comparison. Uncomfortable, I know, but there are lessons in how Ferguson attacked the market.

Attack is the key word. When Manchester United fell just short of the title in 1992, Ferguson signed Eric Cantona, the best creative forward in the land.

After United lost out on goal difference to Manchester City in 2011/12, Ferguson snagged a certain 37-goal Robin van Persie from The Arsenal. On both occasions, the incoming marquee attacker bridged the gap from second place to title.

Contrast that with Arteta signing Riccardo Calafiori last summer, while fellow inverted left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko was already in the squad. Or adding towering midfielder Mikel Merino to a team already strong in the air but lacking an accomplished goalscorer up top.

The plain truth is tough defenders and industrious midfielders give you a chance by keeping you in games. Prolific strikers and chance-creating playmakers win those games with telling contributions in the final third.

Those contributions are always more valuable. Ferguson knew as much when he splashed the cash to drop Dimitar Berbatov into a forward line already home to Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney in 2008.

Pep Guardiola knew something similar when he put Bernardo Silva into a midfield containing similarly-styled artisans Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan back in 2017. You can never have enough match-winners where it counts.

Not having enough of those has cost Arsenal. It's cost the Gunners when competing against a Liverpool side spearheaded by Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez (yes, even him).

Striker-less Arsenal haven't been able to go blow for blow with the Reds. Like when Arteta's team couldn't swap assist for assist with De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Gundogan.

Just ask Martin Odegaard, Arteta's lone creator who hardly needs another defensive minder, even if Thomas Partey and Jorginho are on their way out. Arteta could answer their departures by dropping Declan Rice deeper, where many believe he should play.

Rice's best position is up for debate, but why not shift Myles Lewis-Skelly into the middle where the Hale End darling belongs? Having Lewis-Skelly learn the art of central midfield alongside Rice could only be good for Arsenal.

What would be better is signing an attack-minded creative midfielder to support Odegaard. Not somebody who's more Sergio Busquets than Andres Iniesta.

Zubimendi's a class player, but Arteta needs to expand his transfer horizons if this Arsenal side is ever going to claim the trophies that matter most.

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