Kieran Tierney reacts to Martin Zubimendi’s emotional Arsenal message
Martin Zubimendi is finally an Arsenal player and the Spain midfielder sent an emotional message after his move was confirmed.
Arsenal have already been busy in this summer’s transfer window in their efforts to go one better in next season’s Premier League, after Mikel Arteta‘s side finished second in the table for a third straight year.
The Gunners have already said goodbye to both Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey after their contracts at the Emirates expired, while both Jorginho and Takehiro Tomiyasu agreed to terminate their own deals.
The sales of Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos to Lazio and Cruzeiro has brought in just over £10million, and after Kepa Arrizabalaga became Arsenal’s first arrival of the summer, they’ve now made a real statement.
Zubimendi says goodbye to Sociedad after Arsenal announcement
Zubimendi emerged as a top target for Liverpool last summer and initially looked set to make a move to Anfield, but elected to stay put at Real Sociedad for the next 12 months as Arsenal waited in the wings.
Arteta’s side have bided their time and stepped up their pursuit of Zubimendi in April with a view to an early confirmation of the transfer, which saw them become clear front-runners to sign the 26-year-old.
Patience has told for the Gunners and they announced the signing of Zubimendi for a £55.8m fee on Sunday (6 July), as the Spanish international sent an emotional goodbye message to Sociedad fans.
Zubimendi’s Instagram video (6 July) documented his time in San Sebastian and was captioned with the message of; “Thank You!”, and former Sociedad loanee Tierney left a comment of a ‘love heart’ emoji.
Arsenal ready to capitalise on Zubimendi capture
Football Insider Verdict
The arrival of Zubimendi represents the first significant transfer outlay made by Arsenal this summer, but they can’t afford for it to be the last after securing an immediate successor to both Partey and Jorginho.
Arsenal must ensure Zubimendi’s big-money signing is the first of several as they look to close the gap on Liverpool, with talks progressing for Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres in their hunt for a new number nine.
Centre-forward should be right at the top of Arsenal’s to-do list this summer, and a deal for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke cannot be given priority over the position which Arteta so desperately needs to strengthen.