Arsenal rolled with the punches to beat title rivals Manchester City to the signing of Declan Rice in a jaw-dropping £105m transfer back in 2023.
Has he repaid that fee? You bet he has. Since trading east London for north London, the England international has become not just one of the best players in the Gunners squad, but also one of the best players in the world.
He’s up there with the best midfielders Europe has to offer and he’s put himself firmly in the conversation to win a Ballon d’Or. That might be something of a stretch right now but the fact he’s entered the chat as far as the game’s best is concerned speaks volumes about his performance levels since arriving.
It feels like Rice has really taken his game to the next level this term, crediting Martin Zubimendi‘s arrival for his improvement. Yet, that midfield pivot could be split up in the months to come.
Arsenal looking to sign Martin Zubimendi rival
With Jorginho and Thomas Partey departing the Emirates Stadium last summer, it meant Mikel Arteta and Co needed to bolster their midfield.
To do so, they brought in Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and Christian Norgaard from Brentford. The pair have so far had very different experiences as Arsenal players.
Zubimendi has played more minutes than any outfield player this term while Norgaard has barely kicked a ball. He’s not started a single Premier League match and has only been seen for 56 minutes in the top-flight.
|
Minutes played by Arsenal players – 2025/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Mins played |
|
1) David Raya |
3,600 |
|
2) Martin Zubimendi |
2,575 |
|
3) Declan Rice |
3,462 |
|
4) Jurrien Timber |
3,309 |
|
5) William Saliba |
3,216 |
|
6) Gabriel |
3,073 |
|
7) Bukayo Saka |
2,869 |
|
8) Viktor Gyokeres |
2,762 |
That’s a staggering contrast to last term when the former Brentford captain started 34 Premier League games. So, with Arteta clearly not trusting the Dane that much, signing another midfielder this summer is likely.
Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali currently tops their shortlist but with a £100m asking price mooted, it will be a difficult one to do. That perhaps explains interest in Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
A supposed fan of the club, Record in Portugal report, via Sport Witness, that the Portuguese club are preparing to let go of Hjulmand this summer and will accept offers of around £34m to let him leave Lisbon. That fee is well below his current release clause of £69m.
That will no doubt pique the interest of Arsenal who have not only have a historic interest in the midfielder but their recruitment team are regularly watching Sporting, hence why they signed Viktor Gyokeres last summer.
Why Hjulmand could be Arsenal’s next Declan Rice
The Zubimendi and Rice pivot has been nothing short of exceptional this term. The former hailed the pairing’s understanding as “outstanding” earlier this season, with the England international thanking his midfield colleague for freeing him up in the final third.
Indeed, this campaign, the former West Ham man has been used further forward and less as a holding midfield player, meaning he has scored five goals and contributed 11 assists.
However, there is a fear that the longer the season has gone on, the partnership has begun to wane, largely due to Zubimendi’s fatigue and dwindling displays.
As a result, signing someone like Hjulmand certainly isn’t a bad idea, particularly as he could operate as a lone 6 like Zubimendi or further forward as an 8 like Arsenal’s record signing.
While some might be terrified of signing another player from the Portuguese top-flight after the indifferent performances of Gyokeres, his former teammate looks like someone who is tailor-made to dazzle and star in Premier League football.
Arteta has loved signing physical specimens since becoming manager and in this 6 foot 1 midfielder, they’d find another one.
Hailed as one of “the best midfielders in the world” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, it’s easy to see why when you analyse his qualities and the data.
Like Rice, Hjulmand is very much a do-it-all midfielder. Not only is he a leader of men, having skippered Sporting, but in the words of Mattinson, he’s “a complete midfielder who has an ideal combination of tenacity off the ball in the tackle, anticipation, vertical passing and ball-striking.”
While the 26-year-old may not be one of the quickest players, he makes up for it in plenty of other areas. He ranks among the top 6% of midfielders in Portugal’s top division for successful passes and among the best 15% for accurate long balls. That’s an area that could benefit Arsenal’s attack with Mattinson also previously outlining that his “long passes over the top” to Gyokeres created “so many chances” at Sporting.
Not just a strong passer, Hjulmand ranks among the top 6% of midfielders in Portugal for successful dribbles, completing a whopping 80% of his take-ons per 90 minutes. He is in the very best 3% for duels won and the top 8% for ball recoveries per 90.
Cut from a similar cloth as Rice, he could well represent an upgrade on Zubimendi as Arsenal look to put together one of their best midfield pivots in years.
We’ll leave you with this; the aforementioned Mattinson has suggested that Hjulmand and Rice together could be “Vieira and Petit 2.0.” Exciting times indeed.
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