Former player told Arsenal to sign Martin Zubimendi five years ago

In the summer, Martin Zubimendi left Real Sociedad to join Premier League side Arsenal in a deal worth €60m. The 26-year-old has been in excellent form since moving to London, but it turns out that he could have ended up there a number of years prior to his 2025 transfer.

As per CaughtOffside, former Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal revealed that he recommended that his former club sign Zubimendi when he was playing alongside him at La Real.

“Yes, I spoke with him (Arteta) and with the club in general a long time ago. I said to them: ‘You need to look at Martin Zubimendi’, because for me, when I arrived at Real Sociedad, Mikel Merino, for example, had already played for Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund.

“He was already a good player, but Martin had come from the academy and had started from zero. Even from the beginning and from the first moment, you could see something different, you know, something special. You see this guy, he’s 20 or 21 years old and he performs like he was already playing for 10 years.

“He had something different and in my opinion, it’s been a really, really good transfer. Yes they paid a lot for him but he deserved it. He’s still young and he’s going to stay for the next six, seven, eight years, at his top level. It was a good move for Arsenal, and for Martin, of course.”

Monreal on Zubimendi’s failed Liverpool move

Monreal also spoke on Zubimendi’s decision to turn down a move to Liverpool in the summer of 2024, and how that differed from his mindset earlier this year.

“Well, we didn’t speak exactly about Arsenal but the truth is, Liverpool were in for him and he told me he was not ready to leave Real Sociedad. But this year, when he got the offer from Arsenal, he knew that it was the right moment, and it was the right place to go. I know Mikel called him and Mikel is really, really good when he calls a player, he tells the player exactly what they want to hear.”