Two decades. For a club of Arsenal’s prestigious standing, 20 years without touching the Premier League trophy is inexcusable.
Mikel Arteta has changed the narrative in north London, raising this club from the rubble and turning them into bona fide contenders. But contenders are not champions, and that is the next step.
Two decades. Too long. But Arteta has changed things, alright, and there’s a building momentum about the Gunners which is leading toward silverware.
Three times in a row, Arsenal have finished the Premier League season as runners-up, but last weekend’s slender win over Fulham has seen them shift three points clear at the top, ahead of Manchester City and stretching clear of Liverpool, with the defending champions having lost three games on the bounce.
Careful, calculated progress on the transfer front has built Arteta’s vision, and the signings struck this summer may prove decisive in finally restoring glory to the Emirates.
The jackpot has been struck multiple times, but Martin Zubimendi may well be the cream of the crop.
Martin Zubimendi’s start to life in London
Arsenal have made some top signings this summer, strengthening across the park and stepping that bit closer toward the silver-laden success that the Arteta era deserves.
Zubimendi is the man who makes it all tick, and he might come to prove the signing of the summer – not just for Arsenal, but across the Premier League.
Arriving from Real Sociedad for £60m in July, the deep-lying midfielder has added quite the dimension to Arteta’s engine room. He is 26 years old and mature, and it shows.
Crisp, tempo-setting passing is his forte. FBref data records that Zubimendi ranks among the top 9% of midfielders in the Premier League this season for pass completion and the top 12% for passes attempted per 90. He’s a maestro, plain and simple.
Zubimendi’s work platforms the show-stopping success of the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. There is such balance coursing through Arsenal’s team, and if they do manage to get their hands on the Premier League title this term, Zubimendi will be will be lauded as one of the biggest difference-makers.
While Zubimendi has been one of the best number sixes in the top flight, there are some who would rival him for that crown. Among them, a former Arsenal star.
You probably know who.
The former Arsenal star who’s rivalling Zubimendi
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones made an interesting point after his struggling side returned to winning form against Eintracht Frankfurt. He said that an elite central midfielder makes the bedrock of a successful, title-winning outfit.
And over at Arsenal, Zubimendi is that man, but it’s interesting to note that Granit Xhaka is rivalling the Spain international for newly-promoted Sunderland.
He knows the Premier League well. After all, Xhaka arrived at Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2015 and made 225 appearances in the division before leaving for Bayer Leverkusen and then returning to English shores and taking the captaincy at the Stadium of Light.
He went through all the emotions at Arsenal, but left the club regarded as an important piece of their modern history. Combative, tenacious and never afraid to channel his power and strike on goal, Xhaka was almost unplayable on his day, and Arteta will be happy that he has found his new version of the Swiss machine in Zubimendi.
Now 33, most were uncertain he would thrive after joining Regis Le Bris’ side this season, so late into his career and surely content with winning silverware over in Germany under Xabi Alonso’s wing.
But the new Real Madrid boss has fuelled his lieutenant with a late-career fire for more, and, as the statistics will show you, he has been an integral part of Sunderland’s success this season, going punch for punch with one of the division’s finest in Zubimendi.
Having started all nine of Sunderland’s matches, Xhaka would stake a compelling case for being in the Premier League Team of the Year so far; the Wearsiders are fifth in the standings, and they have lost only two of their nine matches.
Zubimendi vs Xhaka in the Premier League (25/26)
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
8 (7)
8 (8)
Goals
2
0
Assists
0
3
Touches*
69.6
69.9
Accurate passes*
53.8 (90%)
44.1 (82%)
Key passes*
0.8
1.2
Big chances created
1
4
Dribbles*
0.1
0.3
Recoveries*
3.3
4.8
Tackles + interceptions*
2.8
3.1
Duels won*
3.5 (51%)
6.2 (62%)
Data via Sofascore
Zubimendi is not defined by statistics. He is an immense midfielder, elegant and intelligent, and has even been hailed as “one of the best Emirates era signings” by Arsenal content creator Jamie Kent.
But even so, we cannot take anything away from Xhaka’s start to the season. The man has been hailed as a “genius” signing for the Black Cats by Sky Sports’ Don Goodman, and you can see why.
Arsenal are happy to see him succeed. It’s nice to watch Xhaka return to England and do so well. There’s a man who played an important role in the ascension of this outfit in modern times. He’s firing on all cylinders, but would Arsenal replace their Spanish summer signing with the veteran? We need not answer that one.
20 years is too long to go without the Premier League title. Too long for a club like Arsenal. But they are getting there, piece by piece.
It’s too early to say with total conviction, but the Londoners stand as good a chance as they’ve ever had to claim the title this year, and with Zubimendi orchestrating in the middle of the park, they might just reach their goals.
