Martin Zubimendi to Arsenal transfer announcement is perfect for Viktor Gyokeres

Arsenal are expected to announce the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this week, following the turn of the month, and furthered by the confirmation of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s move from Chelsea. The Spaniard has been known for a very long time to be on his way which has created some fatigue around the deal.

The reality is that Arsenal are getting arguably the best number six on the market. A player with a wealth of quality and experience who will come straight into the starting lineup as a European champion, and someone pushing even Rodri now for a place in the Spanish national side.

He is a player Mikel Arteta has wanted for many years, and now it is happening. With that in mind, the link from Zubimendi to the potential other business Arsenal will look to conduct is interesting.

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Zubimendi is a very good ball progressor, and Thomas Partey’s metric has diminished over the past three seasons, as shown in the numbers. The Gunners are taking a step forward, and the potential arrival of Eberechi Eze will help even more in this regard, too.

But with Zubimendi, he will be hoping to work with the top talent his new club have, and possibly a new centre-forward who comes in. Ever since Alexander Isak left San Sebastian, Zubimendi has not had close to the same level of striker to find with his trademark forward passes.

Zubimendi is often seen playing passes into the final third and does so at a rate of 4.87 per 90, with that figure expected to considerably rise when moving to a club like the Gunners. Viktor Gyokeres is, of course, one of the names linked with a move to the club and for good reason.

The Swede’s goalscoring numbers have taken the Arsenal fan base by storm. Even though there are some mitigating circumstances surrounding the volume of goals, the striker’s relentlessness cannot be ignored. An interesting metric, however, that perhaps marries well with a potential future teammate in Zubimendi is his touches in the final third.

He ranks in the leagues outside of Europe’s top five in the 99th percentile, rather impressively for touches in the attacking third. He makes 25.32 per 90, and considering he receives around 29.02 passes per 90, you can see these are coming in those more dangerous areas, with 9.12 per 90 coming in the penalty area.

It is exciting to think about how Zubimendi might combine with the brand new striker, even from the deeper defensive midfield role. Now, it is just about ensuring the club gets the deal done.