"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."
Nacho Monreal praised Martin Zubimendi and said he tracked the midfielder from his academy days at Real Sociedad, noting early standout performances and maturity. Monreal claimed Zubimendi performed like a decade-experienced professional at age 20–21 and recommended Arsenal pursue him. The midfielder reportedly turned down Liverpool previously, and Arsenal completed a high-fee transfer seen as a coup. Monreal credited manager Mikel Arteta's persuasive recruitment role for finalising the deal. Monreal assessed Zubimendi as deserving of the investment, young enough to remain at peak level for years, and positioned the move as beneficial for both player and club.
Read at www.caughtoffside.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]