Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has given his verdict on how Martin Zubimendi came to life at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are off to a flying start to the season
After finishing second in the Premier League for three years, Mikel Arteta identified the need to significantly strengthen his squad in the summer transfer window and spent big, strengthening his options in a number of key areas.
Viktor Gyokeres arguably signed the statement, amid widespread demand for Arteta to bring in a new striker, and the Sweden international is off to a strong, if not spectacular, start after scoring three goals in his opening seven league matches.
Following the departure of Thomas Partey, strengthening in midfield was also key, and Zubimendi was among the most notable additions, with the Spain international having started six of the seven Premier League matches so far.
As such, the Spaniard has clearly managed to impress Arteta, and he has also caught the eye of Gilberto Silva, although the Brazilian admitted he didn’t know who he was before the Gunners finalized a summer deal.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, the former Arsenal midfielder said: “Zubimendi, to be honest, I didn’t know him before he came to Arsenal, but I saw him in pre-season this year in Asia.
“When I see midfielders, the first thing I look at is their positioning. How they position themselves on the pitch. For me, central midfielders who don’t know how to position themselves to protect the back four and support the guys in front of them, to make their job easier, something is missing.
“He [Zubimendi] manages to do it very well. In addition, he has very good passes. He was a big plus for Arsenal. He came, Thomas Partey went, but he and Declan [Rice] have become a new intermediary partnership, which works very well.
Zubimendi establishes himself as a key Arsenal player
It’s no surprise that Arteta has started the Spain international with such regularity, given that he has put in fantastic performances in the Premier League, averaging 7.33 on the Sofascore match rating, the second highest figure of any Arsenal player.
The 26-year-old also won the Guinness Goal of the Month award for September, with a phenomenal goal in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, in which he scored two goals in a single match for the first time in his career.
There were fears that Zubimendi’s new midfield partner Rice might have been ruled out due to injury, but the 26-year-old featured in England’s 3-0 win over Wales, meaning he appears on track to be available for the trip to Fulham next weekend.
