In 2023, Arsenal moved heaven and earth to secure the services of West Ham captain Declan Rice.
The midfielder had just won the Conference League and it felt like the time was right for him to move on. Manchester City also came calling but the Gunners will not be missed there. They paid £105m, breaking their transfer record in the process.
Three years later and Rice is one of the best midfielders in Europe, if not the best. His performance has been impressive, scoring those two free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season and adding more goals and assists to his tally in 2025/26.
He is a special, special player now who thanks his development this season to the arrival of Martin Zubimendi.
Arsenal could sign Zubimendi’s development
“Our understanding has been good,” said Rice from Zubimendi in an interview at the beginning of this season. That said, the Spaniard’s performance has declined in recent months.
That is perhaps not surprising when you consider that he has played more minutes than any outfielder at the club.
|
Minutes played by Arsenal players – 2025/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
The player |
Minutes played |
|
1) David Raya |
3,600 |
|
2) Martin Zubimendi |
2,575 |
|
3) Declan Rice |
3,462 |
|
4) Jurrien Timber |
3,309 |
|
5) William Saliba |
3,216 |
|
6) Gabriel |
3,073 |
|
7) Bukayo Saka |
2,869 |
|
8) Viktor Gyokeres |
2,762 |
That would suggest he is a key player and indeed he has been since arriving from Real Sociedad last summer, but the number 36 has played too many minutes due to a lack of depth.
Christian Norgaard has not kicked a ball since his arrival from Brentford and it is clear that he is not trusted.
As a result, the outfield looks like it could be an important area to fix this summer. After being linked with Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali in the winter, rumors of a move for the Italian are rife again.
It is reported that Tonali’s representatives have been in talks with Manchester United these days but according to several sources, Arsenal remain in the picture.
Fabrizio Romano shared on his YouTube channel on Sunday evening that “Arsenal is interested in Tonali, it’s confirmed. They keep following the situation but nothing has progressed.”
Further reports from TEAMtalk on Monday suggest that the club’s interest in the Italian is deeper than previously reported and that the Gunners are ‘keen’ to sign the player ahead of Man United, although it may take £100m to prize him away from St James’ Park.
How does Tonali compare to Zubimendi
When Arsenal started to sign this Spanish player from Sociedad, it was met with a lot, not only because they stole him from the sticks of Liverpool who were also pushing for his signing, but because this player was considered to be “one of the best midfielders in the world” after Rodri by the manager of Spain, Jose Luis De La Fuente.
Since his move to north London, he has shown exactly why he was given that test, scoring two goals against Nottingham Forest early on and establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.
Alongside Rice, they worked very well together but Zubimendi proved to be a liability at times. Although he is usually calm and reserved in possession, he gave away the ball when Richarlison’s long-range goal was set up in the north London game at the Emirates and was responsible for giving Man United away when Bryan Mbeumo scored against Arsenal a few months ago.
He also has limitations in his ability to develop the ball, which makes some fans say that he needs time away from the team or increased competition, something that Norgaard did not give him.
However, in Tonali, he could not have found a better source of competition. Described as “one of the best midfielders in Europe” by Newcastle journalist Joel Bland, the Italian is a master at dictating and controlling the game.
He’s like Zubimendi in that, sitting deeper than the box-busting Rice or his St James’ counterpart in the form of Bruno Guimaraes.
Of course, it is not Tonali’s role to join the attack, nor is it Zubimendi’s, but it is evident from the statistics that the former is playing at a high level right now.
|
Zubimendi vs Tonali: 2025/26 PL |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Mathematics (in 90 minutes) |
Zubimendi |
Tonali |
|
Shots |
0.7 |
0.7 |
|
It helps |
0.1 |
0.1 |
|
Opportunities are created |
0.6 |
1.2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
88% |
85% |
|
Passing forward |
15.6 |
16.1 |
|
It passes by the side |
35.5 |
31.6 |
|
The fight is done |
1.9 |
1.3 |
|
The takeover is complete |
0.3 |
0.8 |
|
Fouls won |
0.4 |
1.6 |
|
Duels won |
4.4 |
4.0 |
|
The discovery of the ball |
3.5 |
5.5 |
While the two midfielders are closely matched in many metrics, including shots, assists and duels, there are some key talking points here that suggest Tonali could significantly improve Arsenal’s midfield.
If one of Zubimendi’s biggest frustrations this term has been his inability to get the game going, then the Newcastle midfielder can help rectify that.
He completes most plays in 90 minutes and plays few sideways passes. Tonali may not be an aggressive and physical player but he is smart, classy, and likes to take the ball forward.
If Rice thinks he has a good partnership with the Spaniard, just think what he could achieve alongside an even better midfielder.
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