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Martín Zubimendi was a near-constant presence in Arsenal's lineup last season as the Gunners claimed the Premier League title and advanced to the Champions League final. Yet the technically gifted midfielder is discovering just how unforgiving top-level football can be, though his situation may not be hopeless if he's prepared to adapt his role.
Arsenal beat out Real Madrid to secure Zubimendi's signature last summer, one year after he turned down a move to Liverpool. The ex-Real Sociedad standout made an immediate impression, earning 45 starts across the Premier League and Champions League combined.
However, warning signs emerged toward the end of last season that Zubimendi's position was under threat. He was left out of the starting XI for the Champions League final, the second leg of the semifinal, and all four of Arsenal's closing Premier League fixtures in midfield—featuring only as a substitute in three of those and at right back in the remaining one.
Through the first four matches of 2026–27, Zubimendi has yet to start in the Premier League. He has come on as a substitute in the Champions League against Napoli and in the Community Shield against Manchester City. Much of this is attributable to the impressive form of Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has even managed to push summer arrival Bruno Guimarães out of Arteta's preferred starting lineup.
Zubimendi had to wait until this week for his first start of the campaign, slotting in for the injured Ben White at right back in the Carabao Cup clash against Ipswich Town. Given the fierce competition in central midfield, that position may now represent his most realistic route back into the starting eleven.
Arsenal's Strange Right-Back Void
Jurriën Timber has only recently returned from a prolonged injury absence and was given a rest against Ipswich. Ezri Konsa and Cristhian Mosquera are both viable options at right back, though the latter is currently nursing an injury while the former has been covering for the sidelined William Saliba.
An opening could present itself for Zubimendi, and Arteta is no stranger to redeploying technically polished Spanish midfielders in unconventional positions, having previously enjoyed considerable success using Mikel Merino as an improvised striker.
His appearance at right back on the final day of last season's Premier League campaign was a career first. Zubimendi had previously featured once as a centre back for Real Sociedad during a heavy La Liga defeat to Barcelona in March 2021, but that remained his only other senior experience in a defensive role.
It isn't necessarily the perfect fix for either side, but then Arsenal haven't had a natural right back operating in that position for quite some time. Both White and Timber arrived at the club—from Brighton & Hove Albion and Ajax respectively—as centre backs at their previous teams. Takehiro Tomiyasu spent a large portion of his Arsenal tenure on the treatment table, and the last truly dependable right back was Héctor Bellerín, who last played more than 30 Premier League games in a single season back in 2017–18.