Real Madrid told they made a ‘huge’ mistake not signing Arsenal star and ‘might regret’ it
Real Madrid have been told that they made a “huge mistake” when they didn’t sign Martin Zubimendi ahead of Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners invested £60m in bringing Zubimendi to the Emirates Stadium from Real Sociedad in July after the Spain international’s move to the Premier League fell through in the previous summer.
Zubimendi has been impressing in midfield for Arsenal this season with Mikel Arteta’s side moving ahead of Liverpool into first place ahead of the international break.
And the former Sociedad star has taken his club form onto the international stage by shining for Spain in their 2-0 World Cup qualifier victory over Georgia on Saturday.
Speaking about Real Madrid’s failure to sign Zubimendi over the last couple of summers, the Cadena SER panel said after the match over the weekend.
Spanish journalist Julio Pulido said on the Carrusel Deportivo broadcast: “If he (Real Madrid’s sporting director) sees the national team’s recent matches and Zubimendi’s level of performance, he might regret having decided not to invest in him for Real Madrid.
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“I think that piece in Xabi Alonso’s Madrid would be fundamental today.”
Another of the panel, Antonio Romero, added: “It’s a huge mistake that Real Madrid didn’t sign Zubimendi for 60 million after spending 120 million on Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.”
Zubimendi almost moved to Liverpool a year earlier but he eventually decided to stay in Spain one more year before making the leap abroad.
Explaining why he decided to reject Liverpool and wait for another opportunity, Zubimendi told The Guardian after completing his move to Arsenal: “When any proposal comes, the first question has to be whether to stay at la Real.
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“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’ve always tried to choose the right time and I’m happy with how it happened in the end.
“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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