Arsenal supporters were all hoping their clubs would invest heavily in the squad this summer, but even the most optimistic Gooner must surely have been pleased, and surprised, by the extent of the summer recruitment.
On deadline day, Piero Hincapié was unveiled as the eighth summer signing, joining on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with an obligation to buy of around £45m, becoming the first Ecuadorian in the club’s history.
Before this, the Gunners had spent around £267m, bolstering all areas of their squad, after Mikel Arteta’s team were so significantly hampered by injuries last season.
While certain signings have garnered all the headlines, could one of Arsenal’s under-the-radar arrivals actually prove to be the best signing any Premier League club made this summer?
Arsenal's attacking reinforcements
We’ll ultimately never know, but it’s safe to assume that Arsenal would not have invested in their squad quite as heavily as they did, had current Premier League champions Liverpool, the side they’re ultimately attempting to dethrone, spent even more.
The Reds’ signed Alexander Isak for £125m on deadline day, shattering the Premier League record transfer fee, taking their summer outlay to around £450m, with Florian Wirtz’s £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen a short-lived British record.
The German is yet to sparkle in a Liverpool shirt, albeit it’s very early days, and he did score a scrumptious free-kick against Northern Ireland at RheinEnergieStadion last Sunday, showcasing his talent.
Isak meantime is, arguably, the best striker in the world, not a bad player to add to your squad if you’re Arne Slot, but it’ll be interesting to see how he fits in, considering fellow new recruit Hugo Ekitiké has already caught the eye, and how long he takes to get up to speed.
Nevertheless, the champions now possess an array of attacking talent, with Arsenal recruiting Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres in response.
Eze is set to make his eagerly-anticipated home debut against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while Gyökeres has earned mixed reviews so far, barely involved against Manchester United and Liverpool, but scoring a brace during the Gunners’ only home game to date, the 5-0 demolition of Leeds.
However, could a less heralded new recruit actually prove to be Arsenal’s best?
Arsenal's best summer signing
With Jorginho and Thomas Partey both departing Arsenal as free agents this summer, the base of their midfield has undergone a major revamp, and an important one at that, given that the player in this position is very much the nucleus of an Arteta team.
Martín Zubimendi is the new midfield fulcrum, arriving to little fanfare, even though he deserves much more.
There are a few reasons for this.
First, David Ornstein of the Athletic reported as far back as mid-January that his move from Real Sociedad was essentially a done deal, meaning by the time he arrived in July, most anticipation and excitement had subsided.
Also, at the time, Gyökeres was still yet to join, with Gooners fixated on the striker signing, unable to be pleased about anything else until that was done.
Nevertheless, Zubimendi is someone worth heralding, not least because the Spanish international turned down the chance to join Liverpool 12 months earlier, emphasising the attractiveness of moving to Arsenal.
The reason Zubimendi was so sort after is simply because he is an exceptional player, as the table below documents.
Attempted passes
1,772
21st
Passes into final 3rd
172
12th
Progressive passes
195
10th
Touches
2,131
18th
Touches mid 3rd
1,332
8th
Interceptions
44
12th
Blocks
42
16th
Ball recoveries
140
24th
Worth noting that Zubimendi’s statistics last season are all the more impressive given that his Real Sociedad side ended up 11th in La Liga, their lowest finish since 2018, losing almost half of their matches.
Upon his arrival in North London, Arteta spoke glowingly about his compatriot, praising his “football intelligence”, adding that he will bring “a huge amount of quality”, concluding that “he has all the attributes to be a key player”.
Already in Arsenal’s opening three matches, Zubimendi has been able to show what he is all about, completing 145 of his 167 passes, 11 of which have been into the final third, while 12 are categorised as progressive.
The 26-year-old may not be someone you’ve really noticed during Arsenal matches so far, more a player you need to witness in the flesh to truly appreciate, but he crucially has the capabilities to increase the Gunners’ speed of in-possession play, improving the team at both ends of the pitch.
If Arteta’s team do go on to achieve what they want to achieve this year, the £60m paid for Zubimendi’s signature will feel like a steal. Those on Anfield may well live to rue missing out on him a year ago…
