Arsenal midfielder Martín Zubimendi has revealed the Gunners dressing room blames injuries for their failure to get over the line in the Premier League title race.
Mikel Arteta’s side have finished second in the standings for three years in a row, finishing five points behind Manchester City in 2022–23, two points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s outfit 12 months later and then falling short against Liverpool last season.
Adding more depth to the manager’s squad was a key priority this summer and Zubimendi was recruited from Real Sociedad in a transfer window which also saw Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapié, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga join the club.
Having enough options to cope with key injuries has been Arsenal’s downfall in the past and, according to Zubimendi, the squad have made that clear to him during his short time at the Emirates.
“From what teammates have said to me, the problem was the injuries, that when someone got injured, the team came undone,” Zubimendi told The Guardian.
“This year the club has invested a lot in having two players in every position.”
Zubimendi: ‘Crazy’ Arteta Convinced Me to Join
Zubimendi’s arrival in the Premier League this summer came 12 months later than most expected. The Spain international, a star with Sociedad in 2024, was on the cusp of joining up with Arne Slot’s Liverpool before ultimately pulling out of negotiations late on.
There was always a sense that the 2024–25 campaign would be his last with Sociedad and, despite interest from Real Madrid, it was Arsenal who eventually did manage to convince the defensive midfielder to take his talents to England with a little help from Arteta.
“When any proposal comes, the first question has to be whether to stay at la Real,” he continued. “And it wasn’t the right moment [to go]. I stayed and it was a hard season but I learned a lot. I wanted to step forward, take that weight after others went.
“I had watched Arsenal and I liked everything I saw, in terms of passion, youth, the feeling you got watching them. And when Mikel Arteta called me… Well, if you’ve ever spoken to him you’ll know that he can be very convincing.
“He’s mad about football, crazy about having everything under control, trying to get something from every little detail. He’s very clear on everything and the proposal he had was the best for me.”
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