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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Arthur Ferridge

Martin Zubimendi tells Arsenal fans what to expect from him in first tactical clue

New boy: Martin Zubimendi - (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Martin Zubimendi has told Arsenal fans what to expect from him following his move to Emirates Stadium.

Zubimendi has finally sealed his switch from Real Sociedad in a deal worth more than £50million.

The midfielder has signed a five-year contract and Mikel Arteta has described him as a player who will “bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence” to Arsenal.

Arsenal have signed Zubimendi after Arteta targeted an elite No6 to help transform his midfield.

Zubimendi has signed a five-year contract at Arsenal (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

In his first interview with Arsenal, Zubimendi was asked what supporters can expect from him.

“I would say I’m a pretty versatile central midfielder who can play on my own or alongside others,” said the 26-year-old, before offering a hint of what he will bring to the team tactically. “I’m hard-working and bring balance to the team. You’ll see for yourselves.”

Zubimendi has immediately set his sights on winning major trophies at Arsenal.

“Individually, I want to do everything I can on the pitch to be competitive and help the team to the best of my abilities,” he said. “As a team, trophy wins often define the season so I believe winning these trophies is a good objective.

“Once I made the decision to leave [Real Sociedad], I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me.

“It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. Andrea [Berta] and Mikel [Arteta] took excellent care of me, leaving me with no doubts whatsoever.

“This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it's a big change, but I'm ready to get started.”

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