Steven Gerrard has admitted he was left ‘disappointed’ when Arsenal secured the signing of Martin Zubimendi for £60 million, beating Liverpool to the midfielder’s signature. The former Liverpool captain, speaking on TNT Sports, revealed his frustration that the Spanish international did not join the Merseyside club two years ago.
Zubimendi’s Move to Arsenal
Zubimendi completed his high-profile transfer from Real Sociedad to Arsenal in the summer, with the 27-year-old arriving at the Emirates Stadium carrying significant expectations due to the hefty fee and his stellar reputation in La Liga. He quickly adapted to English football and was initially hailed as one of the signings of the season, playing a key role in Arsenal’s strong start.
Recent Form Under Scrutiny
However, Zubimendi’s performances have recently come under fire during a challenging period for Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal’s once-imperious lead at the top of the Premier League has been cut to just three points, while their quadruple ambitions ended with back-to-back defeats in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Despite this, the Gunners’ Champions League hopes remain alive after a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano, where Zubimendi held his own on his return to Spain.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville voiced concerns over Zubimendi’s recent displays, stating on his Sky Sports podcast: ‘I thought at the start of the season that Zubimendi was a great signing. He’s been a good player for Arsenal but right now I was expecting that this would be where Zubimendi would be the player. Who’s going to be the difference player? I thought Viktor Gyokeres would get the goals for them in the big moments and get to 2-0. His lack of quality at the end was poor on that counter-attack. He’s got to do better than that. But I thought… you think of what Andrea Pirlo is, or Paul Scholes or Rodri, Bernardo Silva – the player who can dictate play in a game like this, get Arsenal on the ball, organise and get them with authority and he is not demonstrating that.’
Neville added: ‘He’s struggling in the games and he has been for a few weeks now. Martin Odegaard does it better. Odegaard went deeper, but the problem is when Odegaard goes deeper, Declan Rice then goes deeper and Zubimendi is already deep. Then you’ve got three players, or certainly two in deep areas. You can’t have that. You want them to be rotating with each other, and you want one back there to link play with the defence and the full-backs. It felt to me today that Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard got outplayed by that Newcastle midfield.’
Gerrard’s Support
Despite the criticism, Gerrard remains a firm believer in Zubimendi’s abilities, insisting Arsenal have secured a ‘really intelligent’ player for the base of their midfield. Speaking ahead of the Champions League semi-final first leg, Gerrard said: ‘He’s been given a really key role. At Liverpool, we were linked with him for a long time, watched a lot of him on the back of that – disappointed that we didn’t sign him. Arsenal have got a fantastic player, really intelligent. I think he’ll have a big boost being back in Spain tonight, back where he’s from. Arsenal need a big performance from him tonight. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez like to come short so he’ll have to switch on, he’s going to have to be aware. At the same time, he’s got to connect Arsenal’s play. He’s got a pivotal role.’
Liverpool’s Missed Opportunity
Zubimendi has previously acknowledged how close he came to joining Liverpool a year before moving to Arsenal. The Merseyside giants were in advanced talks with Real Sociedad, but the midfielder decided against the move, feeling it was not ‘the right time’ in his career. He explained: ‘It wasn’t an easy time. I wanted to stay at Real Sociedad, but when offers come in, you start thinking about your options. The first question I had to answer was whether I wanted to leave – and it wasn’t the right time. I felt Real Sociedad offered me more opportunities and that I still had a lot to learn, so staying was the best decision.’
