Martin Odegaard says £60m Arsenal teammate is ‘unbelievable’ as Real Madrid ‘regret’ laid bare | OneFootball

Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard has spoken highly of his teammate Martin Zubimendi, who could have joined Real Madrid last summer had Xabi Alonso got his way.

Zubimendi has been one of the signings of the season in the Premier League, with the Arsenal star making Mikel Arteta’s side a formidable force in midfield.

The Spain international has held his own in the middle of the park for Arsenal, with the star breaking the opposition’s play and chipping in with goals, too.

The 27-year-old has scored six goals and given three assists in 40 matches in all competitions for Arsenal so far this season.

Zubimendi’s arrival at the Emirates Stadium from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2025 in a £60million deal has helped his Arsenal teammate Declan Rice push forward in midfield.

Odegaard played with Zubimendi during a loan spell at Real Sociedad from Real Madrid in 2019/20, and the Arsenal captain has been effusive in his praise of the Spaniard.

The former Madrid midfielder told Four Four Two about Zubimendi: “He’s unbelievable – I knew that already because I played with him and saw his quality when I was at Real Sociedad.

“Straight away you see it – the way he understands the game, how smart he is.

“His positioning without the ball, the way he wins it back – he’s not the biggest or the strongest, but he’s so intelligent.

“It’s amazing to play with him. He deserves all the credit he gets.”

Odegaard’s praise for Zubimendi is a timely reminder of the mistake that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez made last summer.

Madrid are on the hunt for a midfielder in the mould of Toni Kroos or Luka Modric who can control the tempo from the middle of the park.

Zubimendi could have been that player had Perez granted then Madrid manager Xabi Alonso his wish to sign the midfielder from Sociedad before he joined Arsenal in the summer of 2025.

On January 13, 2026, Real Madrid-leaning Spanish publication AS reported that Alonso ‘informed’ the Los Blancos about signing Zubimendi, a player he thought ‘could be the compass needle’ and replace Kroos in midfield.

Arsenal were already in talks for Zubimendi at that stage, but there was still a chance that the Spaniard could have joined Madrid.

AS added: ‘Even so, the fact that the Basque coach’s representatives were in contact with Zubimendi’s opened a door, given that the Spanish international waited a few days, convinced that if there was a possibility of signing for Real Madrid with Xabi at the helm, it was an unmissable opportunity for his career.’

The report continued: ‘Real Madrid hesitated, and by the time they made a move to explore the possibility of a transfer, it was too late.

‘They were never convinced, and Arsenal officially announced his signing two weeks later than they would have liked.’

Even as far as October 2025, there were already criticisms in the Spanish media levelled at Madrid for not signing Zubimendi.

Journalist Julio Pulido told Cadena SER after Spain’s 2-0 win against Georgia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier: “If they (Real Madrid) see the national team’s recent matches and Zubimendi’s level of performance, they might regret having decided not to invest in him for Real Madrid.

“I think that piece in Xabi Alonso’s Madrid would be fundamental today.”

Journalist Antonio Romero said: “It’s a huge mistake that Real Madrid didn’t sign Zubimendi for €60million (£52.2m, $69.7m) after spending €120million (£104.4m, $139.5m) on Camavinga and Tchouameni.”