Could Zubimendi Bring Arsenal Composure and Silverware?

Arsenal have been linked with plenty of players since the end of the 2024/25 campaign… yet another in which they finished second in the table. Attackers including Viktor Gyokeres, Nico Williams and Benjamin Sesko have all been touted as possible additions that could help bring trophies to the club. But perhaps the player who could make the biggest difference is one who plays a little deeper: Martín Zubimendi.

At the time of writing, the deal hasn’t been signed, but it looks increasingly likely that Zubimendi could be Mikel Arteta’s first big signing of the summer. And the 26-year-old Spanish defensive midfielder could prove a shrewd move, and might become as important as Rodri has for Manchester City.

Who Is Martín Zubimendi?

Born in 1999 in San Sebastian in the Basque Country, an autonomous community in northern Spain, Martín Zubimendi Ibáñez has been on the books at Real Sociedad since signing as a youth in 2011. Working through the junior ranks, he made his senior team debut, for Real Sociedad C, in August 2016. He played 26 times for the C team, and has featured a further 50 for Real Sociedad B.

He made his first team debut in April 2019, though it took until the 2020/21 season for him to really establish himself. In that campaign, he made 31 La Liga appearances for the club and also made his first appearance for the Spanish national side, against Lithuania on 8th June 2021. He was part of the successful Spain squad that won Euro 2024, featuring (from the bench) in his nation’s semi-final triumph against neighbours France and in the final against England.

Seen by many pundits and fans as “the next Rodri”, he’s still a little way behind the Man City star. Having said that, he’s won plenty of praise in the last couple of seasons for his poise and decision-making when under pressure, and – as is essential for any defensive midfielder – his excellent reading of the game.

The Importance of a Midfield Lynchpin

Whether you call them enforcers, a holding midfielder or – as the South Americans term it – volante de marca, the defensive midfielder has long been recognised as a crucial component of any successful team. On the international scene, players such as Brazil’s Dunga, Didier Deschamps of France, Germany’s Lothar Matthäus and the likes of Pep Guardiola and Sergio Busquets for Spain have all fulfilled the role – to a greater or lesser extent – for their national sides to great effect.

But why is the position so important? Having a solid defence is also very important of course, but breaking up the opposing side’s attack before they get within shooting range can snuff out danger before it truly occurs. And regain possession in the middle of the park while the other side are on the attack, and potentially thus out of position defensively. This can give shrewd defensive midfielders the chance to turn defence into attack within seconds.

In an Arsenal side that has plenty of excellent attacking players (though, admittedly, they still need a truly world-class striker), Zubimendi could act as a fantastic lynchpin to win back possession and turn it over to the likes of Declan Rice who seems to be playing further forward, Martin Ødegaard or Bukayo Saka. The Gunners might have had a mean defence last term, but they didn’t create (or take) enough chances, and Zubimendi could unlock the potential of that trio to score more goals (as they managed just 13 league strikes between them last term!).

The Three Greatest Defensive Midfielders in Premier League History

All the players on this list are/were far more versatile than simply offering defensive capabilities, or a “holding” role. But, for the purposes of this article, we think these are the best players who might be viewed at least in part as “defensive midfielders”. So, in no particular order, here’s our pick of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League

Claude Makélélé

For a time it seemed the position of holding midfielder was named after Claude Makélélé, so effective was the Frenchman in the position. His time with Chelsea from 2003/04 to 2007/08, largely coincided with Jose Mourinho’s first stint at the club. During that time, Makélélé was a key part of Chelsea’s success and together they won the Premier League twice, the League Cup twice, the FA Cup, and the Community Shield, and were runners-up in the Champions League.

N’Golo Kanté

Another Frenchman who proved a real success for Chelsea, but not before he was perhaps even more important when helping Leicester City to their first and only top-flight league title in 2015/16. With a seemingly limitless amount of energy, Kanté often appeared to be in two or three places at once – and almost always the right place to break up opponents’ attacks.

He won more or less everything there is to win at Chelsea: the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. We think he won’t be too disappointed with the lack of a League Cup medal! He’s also won the World Cup and the Nations League with France.

Roy Keane

The Irish hardman was famously signed by Brian Clough for Nottingham Forest from semi-professional club Cobh Ramblers in 1990. He impressed Clough – who was not shy of a tackle himself in his playing days – with his combative style of play and soon started catching the eye of bigger clubs. Alex Ferguson signed Keane for Manchester United at the end of the 1992/93 season and the Irishman became one of the driving forces behind United’s success in the 1990s and early 2000s.

He often worked in a more box-to-box role but was brilliant defensively as part of that. In total, he won seven Premier League titles with the Red Devils, along with four FA Cups, four Community Shields, the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup. He might have made plenty of enemies on the pitch, but Keane’s winning mentality was cast in iron.