plan to strengthen in attack either this month or in the summer remains to be seen, but the future of their midfield is becoming clearer.
, who is a long-term target and has a £51million release clause in his contract.
Liverpool and Manchester City have tracked the 25-year-old in the past but it is understood that the Gunners are in pole position to sign him after talks over the past few months.
Bolstering their midfield is key for Arsenal given that Jorginho and Thomas Partey, who are both over 30, are out of contract at the end of the season.
Dubbed the ‘Gen-Z Sergio Busquets’, it is easy to see why Arsenal are attracted to Zubimendi and what he will bring to their midfield.
He is the heartbeat of Real Sociedad’s team and no player in their squad has completed more passes in LaLiga this season.
Mikel Arteta likes versatile players, but Zubimendi is an out-and-out No6 and Arsenal will hope he is the final piece of what has proved to be a difficult midfield jigsaw. In the Premier League this season, Arteta has used 13 different midfield combinations in just 21 games.
, Martin Odegaard and Partey has been the most frequently used, with the trio starting six matches together. No other combination has started more than two games.
Injuries have played a part but the arrival of Zubimendi, who is coming into the peak of his career, should bring some stability and it will be intriguing to see how it impacts Rice.
The England star was signed in 2023 from West Ham for over £100m and the pitch to him was that he would be Arsenal’s No6, with Kai Havertz ahead of him alongside Odegaard.
But that trio did not click last season and Arteta shifted Havertz up front for the second half of the campaign.
Rice was pushed forward as well and excelled in a No8 role. He finished the season with seven goals and eight assists in the Premier League, making it his best ever campaign in terms of attacking output.
“My strongest position is No6 - I’ve built my career on that - but when Mikel says he wants me to play No8, I am excited to get up the pitch, score goals and drive with the ball,” Rice said last March.
Mikel Merino’s arrival last summer looked like it would see Rice revert to a role at the base of Arsenal’s midfield. The Spaniard came with a reputation of being a ‘duel monster’ and a player who could give Arsenal a presence in both boxes.
But an injury picked up in Merino’s first training session kept him out until October and he is yet to hit the heights expected.
Rice has increasingly been used as a No8 more recently, including in all five of his last appearances, and he has looked more dangerous than Merino.
, playing with a tireless energy that saw him finish third in the Premier League last season for distance covered.
“Do you know what, I just get excited,” said Rice, when asked after the win over Spurs about his pressing.
“I just get that extra bit of energy to just keep going. I want to run and tonight I was probably more of a box-to-box role, but with our centre-halves [Gabriel and William Saliba] you can be sure that I am allowed to attack because them two clean up everything.”
The attraction for Arteta of playing Rice further forward is understandable. He is so dynamic that he can make an impact in both boxes, but crucially he can win the ball high up the pitch so Arsenal can hit teams on the counter.
Rice showed last season that he can add goals and assists to his game, and if he can continue to do so, he would be a brilliant No8.
He is happy to flick between positions - and Arsenal always saw him as a versatile player - but it is hard to escape the feeling that a settled position would help him. The arrival of Zubimendi could ensure that is the case.
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