€69m Arsenal star is ‘the Premier League’s signing of the season’ – Real Madrid media | OneFootball

An Arsenal star that Real Madrid refused to sign in the summer of 2025 despite Xabi Alonso’s insistence was on fire for Mikel Arteta’s side this weekend and impressed the Spanish media.

Arsenal eased past Sunderland 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday to extend their lead to nine points at the top of the standings. The Gunners have also qualified for the Round of 16 of the Champions League and have reached the final of the Carabao Cup.

One of Arsenal’s best players against Sunderland was Martin Zubimendi, who opened the scoring for the north London club in the 42nd minute with an excellent strike.

It was the 27-year-old’s sixth goal in 34 appearances for Arsenal so far this season, with the midfielder also providing three assists in those games.

Zubimendi has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and established himself as one of the first names on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s teamsheet.

AS has been effusive in its praise of Zubimendi and has described him as ‘the Premier League’s signing of the season’.

The Real Madrid-leaning Spanish publication has labelled the Arsenal star ‘a compete midfielder’.

AS has also noted how Zubimendi celebrated his goal in the style that his Arsenal and Spain international team-mate Mikel Merino does as a tribute to the injured midfielder.

The Real Madrid media’s latest praise is a timely reminder of what could have been for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid are on the hunt for a midfielder who can control the tempo and pull the strings from the middle of the park.

According to a report in AS in January, when Xabi Alonso was appointed the Real Madrid manager in the summer of 2025, he asked president Florentino Perez to sign Zubimendi.

Zubimendi himself waited for a few days to see if Madrid make a bid for him, but Perez decided against it.

The midfielder eventually left Real Sociedad for Arsenal, who paid £60million (€69m, $81.7m) for him to get a favourable structural deal, despite his release clause being €60m (£52.1m, $70.9m).

Meanwhile, a pundit has tipped a Newcastle United star to end up at Arsenal in the summer of 2026, with sources telling us that the north London club are keen on his services.