I’ve always trusted @Leper 's vast insight in La Liga related matters, especially as La Real is close to his heart and he is best positioned to tutor us as to what Zubimendi could bring to this Arsenal team.
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It’s my tactical illiteracy that really lends weight to my footballing opinions 
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A sensational bit of wind up from Sheth, and I am all here for it 
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Yeeeey…
Now can we get a player who improves us, thanks.
https://x.com/karthikadhaigal/status/1905281984936788098
Arteta probably sent him some photos of his family.
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Carlo seems to really rate Tchouameni and rely on him a lot. Camavinga also has played almost whenever he hasn’t been hurt (which is a lot) and Valverde will play midfield fulltime next year with TAA in the squad rather than filling in at RB.
Who really knows but I don’t really see CM/DM as a big priority for Real Madrid this summer and also suspect they are eyeing Rodri for summer 2026.
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Agreed. It is an area of strength for them.
Depends if you’re talking about deep lying playmakers, if so, that’s far from the truth.
I can hear a chant for him already using Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs.
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Tchouameni is poor in midfield and clearly not the answer and Camavinga is a constant sick note.
They miss the presence of a proper DLP, I think it’s an area that needs sorting out for them.
Not that anyone can replace Kroos but they don’t have an heir to him in the squad, it’s a clear weakness IMO.
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The fact Ceballos has become such an important player this season says it all really.
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Its largely because they have so few fit defenders. Tchouameni has been forced to play 18 matches at CB, Valverde 9 at RB.
Assuming they bring in TAA and at least one CB this summer, going forward they have:
CAM - Bellingham, Guler
CM/DM - Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Modric (if he reups again), Ceballos.
They could upgrade but its not a desperate need and playing a CAM like Bellingham/Guler that gets forward a lot plus a guy like TAA at RB puts pressure on the two CM/DM players to be athletes that can cover ground like Tchouameni/Valverde/Camavinga rather than a more technical, positional DLP like Zubimendi.
Setting aside Valverde the midfield options aren’t great, Tchouameni has frankly been a waste of money and Modric needs to call it a day. There’s no control.
TAA is a vanity signing in my view because with the players they already have he can easily become an issue starting him as first choice
The team is already unbalanced as it is, he isn’t the profile they needed. Team always needs to compensate for someone like that
When they change coach TAA can easily become out of favour, it worked at Liverpool but he isn’t a universal player. He’ll be a luxury signing for Real, I see issues on the horizon
Isn’t it interesting that clubs like City, Real Madrid and Liverpool have all been somewhat linked to Martin from Spain?
I realise the eye test/stats don’t provide us with the confidence that this is a top player but if those kind of clubs are/have been after him, they are seeing something us mere mortals clearly are not?
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I guess Trent can take over the playmaker liberties by tucking into midfield.
Once he signs, he’ll be the club’s best playmaker anyway.
If Carlo stays, I genuinely wouldn’t be shocked to see him outright use Trent in midfield and continue using Valverde at RB.
They don’t have a issue with creativity though it’s control and the ability to dictate games, contrary to what some would think he doesn’t help in either instance.
Trent is like a basketball catch and shoot player he wants to get rid of the ball quickly, he can’t dribble, isn’t really press resistant. His creativity is great for final action, Real don’t really struggle in that regard. They need someone to run games TAA doesn’t do this.
He isn’t a midfielder
If he moves Valverde to RB for TAA then they are in for a world of hurt, especially for a team like Real where defensive nous is paramount in the middle.
@YJYUX: possibly yeah, perhaps he is just a player that will look wholly different at another team and situation but from just purely watching him he isn’t someone who I think it’s top quality of that type.
I think signing Zubi, if we do, just highlights the failures of our midfield signings.
Rice while he’s played very well at 8 on many occasions was not a 100m pound #8. Surely he was bought as the Partey replacement with an eye on doing it last summer or this one.
Merino was quite clearly signed to play that LCM role either as a starter or backup. If we sign Zubi it confirms merino as simply a backup player, an expensive one.
Havertz was also signed for that LCM role the same summer as rice, again quite clearly showing rice was supposed to play the deeper role. Paid over the odds for a rival flop and then had to move him up front.
200m+ and not improved on grant xhaka in all honesty. Another 60m now to do the same, worrying lack of eye from a guy who played in that spot himself.
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How quickly we forget that it took 5 seasons for Xhaka to become the footballer we hoped we signed back in 2016. It’s bollocks isn’t it?
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Same, although I did think of the Scooby Doo theme tune first!