Keown’s biased Arsenal bullsh*t over Martin Zubimendi ‘impact’ exposed

We understand that prejudice is a huge part of football and that former players are even more likely to be biased towards their team than your average Joe, particularly when they are for all intents and purposes a one-club man. We also understand that talkSPORT is the place for punditry partisanship.

But if Martin Keown wants to retain credibility as a pundit on all things Arsenal or football in general, he should probably avoid comments which expose him either as ignorant, impartial to the point where his views can be immediately disregarded, or – most likely – a combination of both.

“Across Europe, I don’t really see anybody that has come in and integrated so well, made such an impact,” he said when asked about Martin Zubimendi’s start to life at Arsenal.

“The goals he scored [against Nottingham Forest], the header, but he makes everything tick.

“He came on at the weekend [against West Ham] and it was seamless when he came on.

“[Martin] Odegaard going off would have been an absolute disaster last season, but not this season.”

First of all, the Odegaard absence “disaster” is plainly nonsense. He was mediocre at best when fit last season having excelled the season before. But that first claim is the focus of our exasperation.

He only need go about four miles down the road  to find someone we could easily argue has had a bigger “impact” – Mohammed Kudus has a goal and four assists and might just be the key driver of the seamless transition in styles from Ange Postecoglou to Thomas Frank at Tottenham.

Jack Grealish has made a massive difference at Everton, who are now a team who regularly control possession – holding a 46% share compared to just 40% last season – thanks in large part to him and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, another summer signing with a big effect.

And take your pick at Sunderland: Robin Roefs is currently the best goalkeeper in the Premier League; Granit Xhaka has immediately become the midfielder general and leader of the team; Nordi Mukiele has been brilliant in defence.

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There will be people other than Keown who also believe Zubimendi has had the biggest impact in the Premier League this season. He’s fourth in (Arsenal-supporting) Jason Soutar’s summer signings ranking. It’s maybe not an opinion that too many neutrals would share but it’s a reasonable one – the Spain international has indeed been impressive. It’s the “across Europe” prefix that’s laughable.

We can only assume that a conclusion so broad means Keown is across all European football, not just The Big 5 but your lesser Premier Leagues, Bundesligas and Pro Leagues, and is therefore apparently unimpressed by Anosike Ementa’s flying start to the season following his £900k move from Viborg FF to Zulte Waregem.

What Keown has quite clearly done here to exaggerate Zubimendi’s influence is reduce the whole of Europe to the Premier League Big Six, Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG, in which case he may indeed be the most impactful signing.

Which, by the way, is a significant enough coup for Arsenal in itself. There was no need for the sweeping generalisation, which must not include Bayern Munich, as Luis Diaz has five goals, four assists and is the highest-rated player in the Bundesliga behind Harry Kane.