Arsenal looking to sign “monster” Zubimendi alternative

It looks set to be a massive summer of transfer activity for Arsenal this year; Mikel Arteta even said as much.

Based on fan sentiment and the number of reports in recent weeks, it’s no surprise that the club’s focus is on rejuvenating the attack, but the midfield also looks like it will be addressed.

Thomas Partey might now be getting a new deal, and perhaps most excitingly, the deal to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi looks increasingly certain.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, the club could also be looking at a potential alternative to the Spaniard, someone who could also replace Partey.

Arsenal transfer news

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth reviewing the situation with both Partey and Zubimendi.

Regarding the latter, news initially came out back in January that Arsenal were close to agreeing a deal to sign him in the summer, and while there have since been reports from Spain claiming that he could go to Real Madrid, other stories have reaffirmed the original news that he should be on his way to the Emirates for £51m.

Partey, on the other hand, looked like he was set to depart the club upon the expiration of his current contract in the summer, but that changed last week.

Ahead of the game against Crystal Palace, The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that the club now wanted the midfielder to remain and were set to enter negotiations over a new contract with him.

However, with reports now linking the team to Hugo Larsson, re-signing the Ghanaian might not be necessary.

Yes, according to a recent report from the print edition of SportBild in Germany, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in signing the Eintracht Frankfurt star.

Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Manchester City and Liverpool are also keen on the young midfielder, who’s valued at £51m by his team.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get done, but given Larsson’s ability and potential, it’s one worth pursuing, especially as he could be an ideal Partey replacement.

So, the first argument for why Larsson could prove to be a good Partey replacement is also one that could be used to argue for him being an alternative to Zubimendi: his age.

At just 20 years old, the Swedish international is 11 years younger than the Gunners’ number five and six younger than the Sociedad star. Now, while that’s not a massive advantage compared to the Spaniard, who is still in his prime years, it is against the Ghanaian .

For example, research conducted by The Athletic revealed that central midfielders tend to peak at around 25 years old, so while the Frankfurt gem has years to keep getting better, the former Atlético Madrid ace is undoubtedly approaching the end of his career, and considering his usually dire injury record, this might make handing him a new deal particularly foolish.

Furthermore, besides being substantially younger, the “transitional monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, also looks just as good when we look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, according to FBref, he comes out ahead in plenty of relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, key passes, shots on target, shot-creating actions, blocked shots and passes, errors leading to goal, ball recoveries and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while he might not be the most exciting name out there, Larsson looks like he could be an incredible player in the future, so instead of a Zubimendi alternative, Arsenal might be wise to sign him as well and then not offer Partey a new deal.