His side had already sewn up victory, and the midfielder many deem critical to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes next season was controlling the latter stages. Coming deep, picking up possession, and dictating the tempo, he capped a show of class and composure that allayed fans’ fears that their side would succumb to a late comeback.
However, this was not Declan Rice rounding off his showstopping two-goal display against Real Madrid at the Emirates on a surreal night last Tuesday. This particular display belonged to Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, who, some 48 hours before that epic Champions League clash, had guided his team to a low-key 3-1 La Liga win away at Las Palmas. It was a game watched by just 22,616 people, myself being one of them.
Inevitably, I was particularly interested in Zubimendi, having covered his near-move to Liverpool FC last summer and Arsenal’s current interest. Mikel Arteta is reportedly confident of landing the 26-year-old for a fee in the region of £50million if, unlike Arne Slot, he can persuade him that the glamour of the Premier League outweighs the beauty of the mountains in San Sebastian.
Zubimendi’s qualities on and off the ball were evident. He had no qualms about taking passes deep or under pressure; his distribution was tidy and accurate. On the one hand, he looked a man at ease, yet his play also lacked distinct threat and attacking urgency.
Context is also needed. This was a Las Palmas side 19th in the table and heading for almost certain relegation, with a strike force spearheaded by former Swansea City and Sheffield United target man Oli McBurnie.
Temperatures soared to 30 degrees centigrade, and the pace was slow. This was not the type of intense, high-octane clash in which Zubimendi should be truly judged. A better and more concerning indicator for Arteta is that earlier that week, he and the back four were pulled all over the place when conceding four goals against Real Madrid.
Contrast that with the performance of Thomas Partey this week against the Champions League holders. His time in north London has been plagued by injury, but while Rice understandably took the plaudits, the display of the Ghanaian in the defensive midfield role was every bit as critical to the emphatic 3-0 win.
Partey, 31, is out of contract this summer. His club would be well-served by resisting the temptation to spend a large portion of their budget on a Spanish international who would only supplement their already stacked midfield roster.
Instead, offering Partey a new deal to keep at the club and then keeping him fit would be a considerably more beneficial development. When the euphoria of the Real demolition dies down, reality will resurface. It’s a clinical forward Arsenal need this summer to land the Premier League title next season, not a tidy deep-lying midfielder.
It’s a notion that Arteta and club chiefs should ignore at their peril. To prioritise signing Zubimendi and let another window slide by on the basis that Gabriel Jesus and makeshift No.9’s will fire them to league glory wouldn’t signify naivety – it would represent gross negligence.
As it happened last Sunday, the Las Palmas goal came from McBurnie, his first La Liga strike some 364 days after his previous league goal in a 2-2 Sheffield United draw with Chelsea. Maybe the answer to Arteta’s squad issues was apparent on the holiday island after all.
I say that in jest, of course. But while the lanky Scottish striker is not the solution for any team outside of those struggling for top-flight and in desperate need of some aerial threat, Zubimendi is also not the answer for Arsenal.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk