Arsenal have been in dogged pursuit of Real Sociedad star defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi for over a year now, and Fabrizio Romano has just reported that the Gunners have agreed to a deal to sign the top-class LaLiga No. 6 for his 60 million euro release clause.
Despite some interest from Real Madrid, the move has come as no surprise, as Arsenal were the overwhelming favorites to sign the 26-year-old Spanish international this summer above other clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Barcelona who were also linked.
Zubimendi slots in comfortably next to Declan Rice at the base of a midfield that will also include former Zubi teammate and Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino as backup.
Better yet, Arsenal will have captain and attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard in front of them – another former La Real standout – who will benefit the most from the tactical, technical, and defensive cover that Zubimendi offers as a superior player to Thomas Partey.
After securing Zubimendi and landing what seemed to be Mikel Arteta’s personal dream get, Arsenal need to focus on a much more important issue in their squad, and that is the issue they should have addressed in each of the previous two transfer windows.
Arsenal need a striker more than anything
It’s painfully obvious that Arsenal need a striker. They needed it both times Manchester City and Erling Haaland outlasted them in the Premier League title race and now that Arsenal have fallen double-digits behind Liverpool and were unable to convert their chances against PSG in a hard-fought Champions League semifinal, it is even more clear that the Gunners need players who can put away their chances.
Right now, all they have is Bukayo Saka, who is the Robin to a Batman, an inconsistent and oft-injured Kai Havertz, and solid utility man Leandro Trossard as their main three attacking threats. That’s not good enough.
But with the right No. 9 in the middle, they would go from “bad” to “great” in attack almost immediately. Think about it. You’d have a proven 20-goal striker flanked by a legitimate star in Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard as different profiles in a platoon situation on the left, Odegaard as the playmaker behind them, and Havertz filling in gaps as needed. Oh, and then there’s young Ethan Nwaneri, too.
Who should Arsenal sign? That’s a little more complicated, but they do have a handful of excellent options. Alexander Isak is the most proven Premier League striker but is a stretch, since he’s so important to a direct top-five rival in Newcastle.
Abroad, Benjamin Sesko is a lethal shooter in the Bundesliga, whereas Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike is the more well-rounded profile but still a strong finisher.
Viktor Gyokeres would cost a pretty penny from Sporting CP, but he has, by far, the strongest goal-scoring record this season with 38 in the Primeira Liga and 6 in 6 starts in the Champions League.
And if Arsenal really want to make a splash and hurt London rivals Chelsea in the process, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is a former Capocannoniere as Serie A’s leading goal-scorer in the same season that he helped the Partenopei finally win the Scudetto.
Literally any of those five options would be strong signings and upgrades over what Arsenal have. So the best thing for them to do is start. With personal obsession Zubimendi out of the way, there are no excuses for Arsenal coming home empty-handed yet again in 2025; titles are literally on the line.
Joe Soriano covers Tottenham for FanSided’s Hotspur HQ and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.