Arsenal‘s Martín Zubimendi says it’s not ideal to deal with both on and off the pitch issues at the Premier League side.
The Spain international joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in 2025 and was a key figure in their title winning campaign. Last season, he made 52 appearances for the Gunners and featured in every Premier League fixture.
However, the midfielder wasn’t able to enjoy regular minutes with La Roja at the World Cup. He made one appearance, and it was in the final win over Argentina.
Drastic change at Arsenal
In the summer window, the north London club signed Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United. His arrival and Myles Lewis-Skelly’s emergence saw Martín Zubimendi settle for a restricted role this season.
To put it in context, the former La Real star played 380 minutes in 12 matches, and 100 were in the league. The limited playing time under Mikel Arteta has led to reports of a potential winter exit.
Earlier this week, Sport Witness covered a report from Spain explaining that he’s close to joining Atlético Madrid in January. However, the 27-year-old has dismissed these links and also ruled out a move away from Arsenal until the end of the season.
On Thursday, he played the full 90 minutes in Spain’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League.
Manager praising Arsenal man
Prior to the kick-off, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente discussed Martín Zubimendi’s tough situation at Arsenal, and El País have relayed his comments.
“Many of you tell me that there are players who play better for the national team than for their club. And Martín is that kind of player. He understands his role perfectly. When he plays, when he doesn’t play… We’re lucky to have this type of player with us,” he said.
After the match, the Gunners man spoke to the reporters. El Larguero took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to relay his comments.
The midfielder said it’s not ideal to deal with issues on and off the pitch at Arsenal. After ruling out an exit, he now wants to improve his situation at the Emirates.
“It’s difficult to come to the national team with such high expectations without having played many minutes, without having that feeling on the field. Things have come out that weren’t true, and I wanted to clarify them,” he said.
“It’s true that I’m not getting minutes. It’s not the ideal situation, but I believe we can turn things around.”
El Larguero ponder whether this is a message from the World Cup winner to Arteta. Either way, Zubimendi has once again made it clear he wants to fight for his place at Arsenal.
😳💥 ¿Mensaje de ZUBIMENDI a ARTETA?
💢 “Es difícil venir a la Selección con tanta exigencia sin haber jugado tantos minutos, sin tener ese feeling dentro del campo. Han salido cosas que NO ERAN CIERTAS y quería aclararlas”
😠🗯️ “Es verdad que no estoy TENIENDO MINUTOS y no es la situación IDÓNEA, pero creo en poder darle la vuelta”
— El Larguero (@ellarguero) November 12, 2026
