Arsenal signing Martin Zubimendi means another declining player is out the door

Arsenal need a striker more than anything in order to win the Premier League and make the leap from “in the mix” to a true Champions League title contender, but their biggest priority signing seemed to be a midfielder.

And after going after him for more than a year, Arsenal are now set to secure the signing of defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the club have reached an agreement with the 26-year-old star from Real Sociedad.

Zubimendi will cost the team 60 million euros, per his release clause with La Real, and will immediately slot in the starting lineup alongside 105 million pound 2023 transfer Declan Rice at the base of the midfield.

One of the best No. 6’s in the world, Zubimendi helped turn Real Sociedad into perennial Champions League contenders in LaLiga and was wanted by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, and a host of other top clubs around European football.

Although Zubimendi most directly replaces Jorginho’s spot in the Arsenal squad after the iconic Italian defensive midfielder joined Flamengo as a free transfer, his arrival could also lead to the departure of another declining player in the middle of the pitch.

Thomas Partey’s cycle with Arsenal has ended

Thomas Partey has been a starter for Arsenal for years after once being one of the best defensive-minded midfielders in LaLiga for Diego Simeone’s hard-nosed Atletico Madrid.

But Thomas is on an expiring contract, and while David Ornstein is reporting that Arsenal are still trying to sign the Ghanian international to a new two-year contract in order to keep him around, it seems like signing Zubimendi would run counter to that.

Partey could very easily make substantially more money in wages from a team in the Saudi Pro League than he would at Arsenal, and, now, he wouldn’t even be a starter for the Gunners.

A 60 million euro investment is a significant one, and Arsenal didn’t convince Zubimendi to leave Real Sociedad, a good club where he was extremely comfortable, for North London without giving him assurance of a very important role under Mikel Arteta.

Speaking of which, Arteta wouldn’t splash on a midfielder at his former club when he had bigger needs elsewhere – and one year after signing teammate Mikel Merino from La Real – without feeling that Zubimendi would be bringing something very different to the table that he needed.

Although there are people who bring up pass completions and other counting statistics to try and argue that Thomas Partey is better than Martin Zubimendi, those statistics are useless when comparing how Arsenal play with the lion’s share of the ball to how La Real play under Imanol Alguacil when so much of their game is based on counters, playing fast, and thinking fast.

Thomas doesn’t think or play fast very well. He’s a sideways passer who has declined physically and is a mistake waiting to happen in important games. He is a liability against the kind of opponents Arsenal need to be thinking about, and he showed it by playing woefully and costing the team against PSG.

Zubimendi is 26. Thomas is 31. Zubimendi will make less in wages and has far more upside, technical ability, and tactical awareness as a player coveted highly by two of the finest managers in world football in Hansi Flick and Xabi Alonso.

After investing heavily in Zubimendi, there’s no point in paying Partey. Arsenal need to stop pretending as if a vestige of the past whose best days are clearly behind them is worth keeping around. There is no nostalgia for Partey, and the club should be moving on from him pronto. He doesn’t meet the standards of an Arsenal starter, and his spot in the squad can be taken up by a player with more long-term value.