In their sights: Arsenal chase "world-class" £62m Zubimendi upgrade

With the end of the season just two months away and the Champions League the only realistic route towards a trophy, the Arsenal board will likely be planning for what could be an incredibly busy summer.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been ravaged by injuries this term, and while a lack of forward signings has been the biggest disappointment, there is every chance that the midfield could pose just as much of a problem next year.

For example, Thomas Partey and Jorginho are out of contract in the summer, so links to Real Sociedad’s brilliant Martin Zubimendi over the last few months make perfect sense.

However, while the Spaniard would undoubtedly be an excellent addition to Arsenal’s squad, recent reports have linked the club with a potential upgrade.

Arsenal’s search for a midfielder

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several clubs interested in Barcelona star Frenkie De Jong.

The report has revealed that while the Catalans are keen to tie the Dutchman down to a new deal as soon as possible, as his current one expires next summer, there is concrete interest from sides in the Premier League, like the Gunners.

The report does not reveal how much the 27-year-old might cost the North Londoners, but a story from late last month claimed that they’d be willing to make an offer of around £62m, which, given the player’s contract situation, could prove enough.

It’ll be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given De Jong’s immense ability, one well worth pursuing, and he might even be an upgrade on Zubimendi.

How De Jong compares to Zubimendi

So, with Arsenal supposedly interested in both Zubimendi and De Jong ahead of the summer transfer window, it seems unlikely that they’d sign both, so who should they get?

Well, the first thing to say is that while they can both play as either an eight or a six, the Spaniard just about favours the latter and the Dutchman the former, meaning that signing the Barça star could see Declan Rice either move to that base of midfield on a more permanent basis, or continue to interchange as he does now.

On top of potentially allowing the Englishman to move back into a role plenty of fans prefer him in, the former Ajax star is also far more productive in an attacking sense than the Real Sociedad ace is.

For example, in his 241 appearances for the Catalan side, the “world-class” 27-year-old, as dubbed by former manager Xavi, has scored 19 goals and provided 22 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 5.87 games.

In contrast, the San Sebastian-born international scored nine goals and provided nine assists in 223 appearances for La Real, which is an average of a goal involvement every 12.38 games.

It’s the same story when we take a look under the hood at their respective underlying numbers, with the Arkel-born maestro coming out on top in most relevant metrics, including but not limited to actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, goal and shot-taking actions, key passes and more, all per 90.

Now, it is true that the Spaniard comes out ahead in some of the more defensive statistics, but given the Gunners’ already stellar defensive record, it might make more sense to invest in a midfielder who can have a greater influence over happenings at the sharp end of the pitch.

Ultimately, Zubimendi would be a great addition to Arsenal’s squad, but from most angles, it would appear as if De Jong would be far more valuable and more of a ceiling raiser.

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