Yes, it is widely reported as reliable and confirmed interest, if Ugarte deal doesn't happen. Don't remember who broke the news, initially
Martín Zubimendi | £51m release clause
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Jamie (@Vault Dweller) get the depressing job of reviewing United's 3-0 loss at Old Trafford to Liverpool. They discuss what went wrong, Casemiro's day to forget, and the pressure now on Erik Ten Hag. They also take some time to give McTominay a proper farewell, and give their overall thoughts on the Summer Transfer Window.
Really? I must have missed it, but it's not really struck me as that widespread or reliable. Interesting if true, I'm not buying it personally.
speaking of Alonso...interesting comments he made a couple years back about this lad. I would bet if Bayer had the need or money, he'd be looking to pay the release clause.
"Martin’s a player all coaches would want,” Alonso told The Guardian in September 2022. “He’s generous, he always thinks more about his teammates than himself.
"He has that ability to generate play, to make those around him better, always offering solutions; to improve the move. He understands what the next step is before the ball gets to him. He has that ability to organise, the axis. I loved working with him.”
"Martin’s a player all coaches would want,” Alonso told The Guardian in September 2022. “He’s generous, he always thinks more about his teammates than himself.
"He has that ability to generate play, to make those around him better, always offering solutions; to improve the move. He understands what the next step is before the ball gets to him. He has that ability to organise, the axis. I loved working with him.”
Surely this is a profile we are crying out for
Sounds like Ander Herrera
oh he's a brilliant, technical player.....he's a bit light weight so he'd have to adapt to the physical play but technically brilliant
mate...this lad is one we should be buying
Looking forward to the compilation videos
Edit:
Read in the comments section that he was a futsal player with no prior formal football training till Flamengo gave him a chance at 20 years old. Interesting profile.
Very different players.
Ugarte over any other midfielder been linked to, two would be nice though.
I think we'll be priced out of Ugarte, it seems like PSG is not moving from their 70m valuation. We should try and get Zubimendi, who is not as almos as good defending but way superior on the ball.
This is what we need. We need ball players, not all action water carriers.
People complain about how open we are, forgetting we are even a worse team in possession. A lot of our defensive struggles stem from our in ability to keep the ball.
A player that is not high calibre on the ball under pressure and can keep the ball should not even be considered in our state.
I mean this was just sideways and backwards, I completely agree but they need to be able to go forwards (haven’t seen much of this lad so I’m not sure if he can).
He has a very high forward pass rate which is why his pass completion is quite low at 82% but he’s just what we need to control games. In an ideal world we would sign Ugarte and Zubimendi and sell Casemiro, Eriksen and Hannibal.
I couldn’t make it past 75 seconds as there was pretty much nothing of note and just safe backwards / sideways passing.
Yes please
That sounds like a plan, stan.
Agreed also, let's do this. Someone let the higher ups know there please
This just doesn't really seem true. Looking at his stats for progressive passes, they're actually very average.
5.21 per 90. By comparison, Rodri manages 12.28, Jorginho 8.05 and Mac Allister 6.97. All of them have better pass completion than he does as well.
I dont think this is doable at the prices being touted, our PSR situation and the fact that interest in our outgoings seems to have cooled for now
I mean you can just look at the compilation and know it's not true. Was Amrabaat-esque.
Agree we need to sell to buy that’s clear right now
He plays for Sociedad with poorer players as we saw for Spain when he plays with better players his output increases, I’m not saying He’s worth €60m however if we could get him and Ugarte and sell Casemiro, Hannibal and Amrabat that’s a huge upgrade in our engine room?
Hope it won't break your heart but we can't sell Amrabat.
Or theres Frenkie who does 8.70 per 90 and has a pass completion ratio of 91.9% and whose also in the 97th percentile for progressive carries. We've never really fixed this position, and I dont think Zubimendi is a long term fix either.
What, like Le Normand, Oyarazabal and Merino? I think his output increases because he is second choice, so plays against the likes of Albania. I'm not sold on him to be honest, I think hell stay one more season at la Real and then go to Barca.
Personally feel we need him and a reasonably priced DM but finding one is difficult
We've needed a volume passer forever. He's the type of player I've wanted to see in our midfield basically since Carrick left, but I just don't see him as being of the right quality.
The first set of stats is Zubimendi. The second lot is Amrabat at Fiorentina. Fiorentina are a worse side than Sociedad, and we've currently got people saying they wouldn't take Amrabat for free. Now, stats aren't everything, and it's hard to guess which players will adapt best to the PL, but I just don't think he's shown enough at his current level to be worth the roll of the dice.
From the stats and from the few games I've seen of him (not that much of course, but I did see most of Sociedad's group games in the CL, and usually watch when they play Madrid or Barca), he just looks like a very middle of the road player of that type. I think people are just hyping this up because they love the idea of us having a proper deep lying playmaker type again, rather than on anything Zubimendi himself has shown.
Right profile, wrong player.
Zubimendi is a player where there is a big gulf between stats and his reputation around the game, especially among Spanish football people. Both Arteta and Xavi have been very very high on him as an ideal pivot 6 and I would trust their assessments over some kind of FBRef-based scouting.
But there has never been much indication that he wants to leave Real Sociedad and I don't really see any reason to believe that has changed.
But there has never been much indication that he wants to leave Real Sociedad and I don't really see any reason to believe that has changed.
Who is the right player?
It's of course fair that stats aren't everything. We see that with Kobbie Mainoo - the quality you can see with your own eyes doesn't always translate to nice green bars on fbref. However, he's never really caught the eye the fair few times I've seen him play, either.
As for your two experts, Arteta is obviously very partisan in this case and Xavi says a lot of things. He was on record creaming himself over Jean Michael Seri.
Zubimendi for me isnt really a DLP like people like to see (Pirlo,Alonso etc), he is more of a holding midfielder. Like a DM who sticks to his position, plays the quick pass and allows the other midfielders to roam and progress with the ball.We've needed a volume passer forever. He's the type of player I've wanted to see in our midfield basically since Carrick left, but I just don't see him as being of the right quality.
The first set of stats is Zubimendi. The second lot is Amrabat at Fiorentina. Fiorentina are a worse side than Sociedad, and we've currently got people saying they wouldn't take Amrabat for free. Now, stats aren't everything, and it's hard to guess which players will adapt best to the PL, but I just don't think he's shown enough at his current level to be worth the roll of the dice.
From the stats and from the few games I've seen of him (not that much of course, but I did see most of Sociedad's group games in the CL, and usually watch when they play Madrid or Barca), he just looks like a very middle of the road player of that type. I think people are just hyping this up because they love the idea of us having a proper deep lying playmaker type again, rather than on anything Zubimendi himself has shown.
Moreno and Brian Mendez are the creative midfielders in their side, what Zubimendi allows them is a brilliant option in receiving the ball under pressure and moving it on quickly ( plays an incredible amount of first time passes from what I have seen), something which I believe could aid Mainoo a lot. Also he is good at covering for the CBs if they progress with the ball or go aggressive to win it up the pitch. He is a brillaint tactical option tbh
People have watched 10 minutes of Zubimendi for Spain and concluded he is not a good enough passer because his FBref stats aren't great. What the feck is that.. maybe try watch games of him rather than observing everything through a website?
How many times would you like me to say "stats aren't everything" and "I've seen him play for Sociedad quite a few times" before I'm allowed to post stats?
I'm not referring to just you, and if you did watch him for Sociedad, you would know he is a very good passer, but isn't a Kroos long-ball type of playmaker. He is a holding midfielder in the sense of a Busquets, not a deep lying playmaker with long range passing. He has exceptional positioning and anticipation and think he would be brilliant for us.
The links are there but it's weak. We have an interest just like we have an interest in many other players.
Romano said it's quite far fetched in his own words since 1) Zubamendi is happy where he is and doesn't really want to leave (or at least isn't pushing for a new challenge) and 2) His release clause is not something that Sociedad would negotiate and it's very difficult for clubs to stump up the 60ish million euros upfront.
The Athletic's sensible transfers for arsenal covers zubimendi at 5min mark for 60 seconds. De Jong and Bruno Guimares being the ideal preferred but unrealistic options for them. Before 3rd option being Zubimendi.
Who does catch the eye in that position and is realistically available as well
Have we been properly linked with this guy by a good journalist?
Yeah, I agree that he's fairly similar in style to Busquets, but I think he was also a DLP is in his own way as well. I don't think it necessarily has to be about sitting back and spraying long passes around like Kroos or Scholes, but dictating the tempo, providing a safe passing option to recycle the ball as much as possible, and taking the right option with the ball when it arrives.
Of current PL players, he reminds me most of Jorginho, who also mostly plays fairly short, safe passes, keeps the ball ticking over, and wins the ball back a lot with good positioning rather than physicality. I just don't think he's quite on the same level, and doesn't quite have the killer ball in his locker that Jorginho has when he needs it.
Ducker or is he not classed as good?