Zubimendi Exposes What Arsenal Players Really Think About Their Title Struggles
Arsenal's new signing Martín Zubimendi has disclosed that the squad attributes their inability to secure the Premier League championship to injury problems within the dressing room.
Mikel Arteta's team has claimed runner-up positions in the league table for three consecutive seasons, coming up five points short of Manchester City in 2022–23, trailing Pep Guardiola's team by two points the following year, and then missing out to Liverpool in the most recent campaign.
Strengthening the squad's depth became a crucial objective during the summer transfer period, with Zubimendi being signed from Real Sociedad alongside other new arrivals including Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapié, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Arsenal's previous struggles with maintaining performance during crucial injury periods have been their weakness, and Zubimendi confirms his new teammates have communicated this challenge to him since his arrival at the Emirates.
"Based on what my colleagues have told me, injuries were the main issue - whenever a key player was sidelined, the team's structure collapsed," Zubimendi shared with The Guardian.
"This season the club has made significant investments to ensure we have dual coverage for every position."
Zubimendi: 'Passionate' Arteta Persuaded Me to Sign
Zubimendi's move to the Premier League this summer occurred a full year after many anticipated it would happen. The Spanish international, who shone with Sociedad in 2024, came close to linking up with Arne Slot's Liverpool before withdrawing from discussions at the final stage.
It was widely believed that the 2024–25 season would mark his final year at Sociedad, and despite attention from Real Madrid, Arsenal ultimately succeeded in persuading the holding midfielder to bring his skills to England with assistance from Arteta.
"Whenever any offer arrives, the initial consideration must be whether to remain at la Real," he explained. "And the timing wasn't appropriate [to leave]. I remained and endured a challenging season but gained valuable experience. I wanted to progress, shoulder that responsibility after others departed.
"I had observed Arsenal and appreciated everything I witnessed - the intensity, youthfulness, the atmosphere you experienced watching them. And when Mikel Arteta contacted me... Well, if you've ever conversed with him you'll understand that he can be extremely persuasive.
"He's obsessed with football, fanatical about controlling every aspect, attempting to extract value from each minor element. He's completely focused on everything and his offer was ideal for my situation."