After a slow start to Arsenal’s summer transfer window, they appear to be trapped in sealing two signatures.
Kepa Arizabaraga’s move from Chelsea to Emirates Stadium doesn’t exactly meet many fanfares, considering he’s there to play David Raya as a second fiddle, but it’s still a key move.
For just £5 million, Gunners have found a replacement for Neto. For the price, it frees up money to spend elsewhere and hopefully becomes a wealth of attack reinforcements.
Another arrival will see another Spaniard in the form of Martin Zubimendi heading north of London. At just over £50 million, the move is certainly more exciting, but he’s not just a midfielder who can arrive.
Arsenal is about to sign another midfielder after Zubimendi
Last summer, it looked like Zubimendi was heading for Liverpool. Sadly, for the Anfield side, he didn’t. It is unclear whether he regrets that decision based on the success of the Arne Slot title.
Well, a year later, he will finally head to England, but that’s not the Liverpool red he wears. Instead, it’s Arsenal’s red.
The Gunners first made the move to sign Spanish International last January. Since then, there have been contracts that allow clubs to spend a little more than their exit clause and pay in installments.
Zubimendi reportedly was in London over the weekend to put together the procedures for his move.
However, he was able to join Brentford’s Christian Norgaard in the middle of the park next season. That’s according to many sources, especially Athletic’s David Ornstein.
He reported Wednesday afternoon that Arsenal was “exploring” a deal to sign Dane, submitting its first offer, believed to be around 11 million euros (£9 million).
Fabrizio Romano promoted these claims by revealing the 31-year-old “want to join Arsenal” this summer on social media.
Since then, BBC Sports’ Sami Mokbel has revealed that it could potentially reach an agreement for £15 million, including add-ons. It appears that the move is moving quickly after Ornstein later reported on Wednesday evening that he was in the process of “finishing” a deal to sign players. Medical care is in the process of being planned.
Why is no guard a good signing for Arsenal?
Arsenal needs two midfielders as Giorguinho leaves the Emirates for free transfer and heads to Flamengo and it is increasingly likely that Thomas Parte will sign a new deal.
Zubimendi checks one box and carves it in the shape of Norgaard, which would make an amazing move, but it certainly makes a lot of sense.
Like Kepa, Arsenal won’t spend bucket loads on improving the team, and therefore will leave room for it to spend in places that really matter this summer. A new striker.
So, what can Norgaard offer Mikel Arteta’s midfield? Well, like Gorguinho and Partie departing, he has extensive experience, and, importantly, he has played for the UK for a long time.
He signed for Brentford in 2019, then played 122 times in the Premier League and won the Bees 196 features.
Thirty-four of these top flight outings scored five goals in 2024/25 and provided four assists.
The midfielder holding chips with goals and assists is why he believes Arteta can sign a more experienced version of Declan Rice here.
Alex Moneypenny, the Arsenal podcaster who appeared in Sky Sports and BBC Sport, gives a complete overview of Dane’s qualities. He is a “search and destroyer” and a midfielder specializing in “progressive pass.”
This is backed up by numbers ranking the best midfielder of Europe’s top five leagues. In fact, he ranks roughly the same as Zubimendi in this category.
His ability to flip the ball over in deep or more advanced areas certainly makes him like rice. The Brentford captain also has the natural leadership skills that Arsenal’s record signature boasts.
But what do you say about the statistics?
Norgaard vs Rice: 2024/25 Premier League | ||
---|---|---|
Stat (per 90 minutes) | Norgard | Rice |
the goal | 0.16 | 0.13 |
assist | 0.13 | 0.22 |
Goal Creation Action | 0.42 | 0.32 |
Success rate passing | 82% | 83% |
Progressive Pass | 4.92 | 6.11 |
Pass to the last 3rd | 4.38 | 4.36 |
Tackle | 2.52 | 1.69 |
A successful take-on | 0.22 | 0.42 |
Statistics via FBREF. |
With the advantage of moving forward and taking pictures of set pieces, Rice makes Brentford’s captain better for assists and successful take-ons. The one that they most resembles is in the passing department.
They complete a similar percentage of passes per 90 minutes and there is no significant difference in the number of essentially progressive passes.
So, although a movement of this nature rarely blows away his supporters, he will be a stable pair of hands just like Yorginho. If he hits the ground running like Rice, fans will immediately take him to the bee star.
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