Martin Zubimendi has opened up on his decision to join Arsenal only a year after snubbing a potential move to title rivals Liverpool.
The Spanish midfielder officially joined the Gunners from LaLiga outfit Real Sociedad in a £55million transfer in July that had been mooted as early as January.
It was something of a U-turn from Zubimendi with regards to his thoughts on moving to the Premier League, having rejected a switch to Liverpool the previous summer and opted to remain at the club with whom he had played since 2011.
“When any proposal comes, the first question has to be whether to stay at la Real,” Zubimendi explained in a new interview with The Guardian when asked what had changed during that time.
“And it wasn’t the right moment [to go]. I stayed and it was a hard season but I learned a lot. I wanted to step forward, take that weight after others went.
“I’ve always tried to choose the right time and I’m happy with how it happened in the end.”
Zubimendi pinpointed manager Mikel Arteta’s passion and meticulous attention to detail when it came to the most enticing reasons to join Arsenal.
“I had watched Arsenal and I liked everything I saw, in terms of passion, youth, the feeling you got watching them. And when Mikel Arteta called me … Well, if you’ve ever spoken to him you’ll know that he can be very convincing,” he said.
“He’s mad about football, crazy about having everything under control, trying to get something from every little detail. He’s very clear on everything and the proposal he had was the best for me.”
Zubimendi has enjoyed a fine start to life at Arsenal this season, quickly establishing himself as an important figure in midfield alongside the likes of Declan Rice at a time when influential captain Martin Odegaard continues to struggle with injury.
The 26-year-old has made nine appearances so far across all competitions for Arsenal, scoring twice in the 3-0 home win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last month.
Zubimendi is also a key player for Spain, starting alongside Arsenal team-mate Mikel Merino during Saturday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Georgia in Elche, where Crystal Palace winger Yeremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal were both on target after Liverpool’s Giorgi Mamardashvili had initially saved a penalty from Ferran Torres.
