Martin Zubimendi has shut down the latest suggestion that Real Madrid “need” him, and the timing matters. Arsenal are entering the stretch where distractions become expensive, and midfield roles stop being theoretical.
This story isn’t really about Spain’s headlines — it’s about trust being earned in real minutes.
Madrid talk meets a London reality
The narrative followed Zubimendi long before he arrived: a profile built at Real Sociedad, then a €70m summer move to Arsenal that instantly invited comparisons and projections. In Spain, the conversation kept circling back to Madrid’s post-Modrić future and the idea that a coach like Xabi Alonso would naturally look for a controller.
Zubimendi’s pushback wasn’t dramatic — and that’s the point. It signals a player anchoring himself to the job he already has, not the job others imagine for him.
In a season defined by pressure, “I’m fine where I am” is not a slogan. It’s a boundary — and boundaries are often the first sign that a player has become part of a dressing-room spine.
Three competitions, one demand: stability
Arsenal’s calendar is now a test of repeatability. Zubimendi played the full match as they beat Chelsea to reach the Carabao Cup final, while holding a six-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League and booking a Champions League round-of-16 place with a perfect league-phase record.
His numbers — five goals and three assists in 33 appearances — help the picture, but the real value is structural: tempo under pressure, clean exits, and the ability to keep the team’s shape intact when the game gets messy. That’s where trust lives.
Trust also shows up when someone is missing
Arsenal’s midfield picture is also shaped by absence. Mikel Merino is expected to be out until late in the season after a foot stress fracture suffered against Manchester United on January 25, with hopes of being ready for the World Cup. When rotation options disappear, “importance” stops being a feeling and becomes a responsibility shared by whoever remains.
The next months will decide whether Arsenal’s momentum is real or fragile. Zubimendi has already drawn a line under the Madrid noise — now the bigger question is whether Arsenal can keep their identity intact when the margins get thinner.
