Arsenal have finally completed the transfer of Martin Zubimendi, whose arrival from Real Sociedad was made official on Sunday. The 26-year-old, for whom the London club activated a €60m release clause, leaves San Sebastian after 14 years with the Txuri-Urdin shirt.
Zubimendi's transfer to Arsenal has been rumoured for weeks, but the deal has only now been made official, after Real Sociedad requested that the registration be made for the 2025–26 season, to have more flexibility in using the funds from this sale.
In the announcement made for his presentation, Arsenal confirmed that Zubimendi will wear the number 36 shirt, which may come as a surprise to fans, as the number 5 was vacant following the departure of Thomas Partey. However, according to newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the decision has special meaning for the Spanish midfielder, as 36 was the number he wore when he made his debut for Real Sociedad in April 2019 – and for him, as a former academy player, the number has emotional value.
This transfer also gives Zubimendi the opportunity to reunite with two former teammates from La Real: Martin Odegaard, who spent one season at the Real Arena (2019–20), and Mikel Merino, a teammate in the Spanish national team, who joined Arsenal last summer after six years in San Sebastian.
On paper, Zubimendi is considered one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, and under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal will hope he can help the team finally achieve the Premier League title, which they have not won since the legendary 2003–04 season./Express newspaper/
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