{"id":243738,"date":"2026-05-16T19:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T19:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/hes-better-than-zubimendi-arsenal-have-opened-talks-to-sign-70m-star\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T19:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T19:40:13","slug":"hes-better-than-zubimendi-arsenal-have-opened-talks-to-sign-70m-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/hes-better-than-zubimendi-arsenal-have-opened-talks-to-sign-70m-star\/","title":{"rendered":"He’s better than Zubimendi: Arsenal have opened talks to sign \u00a370m star"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Arsenal<\/a> are on the brink of greatness, but Mikel Arteta<\/a> has an insatiable appetite for success, and he is already preparing for a summer transfer that could cement their position as Europe’s new superpower.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How to improve a team at the top? Well, as much as Arsenal have been phenomenal in their growth and determination and resilience, there are a few tactical blemishes that need covering over.<\/p>\n

In attack, the Gunners haven’t been quite as fluent as they once were. Viktor Gyokeres<\/a> is banging in the goals, but he’s not the complete package by any stretch, and the supporting in attack have left a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

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Arsenal’s Top Premier League Scorers 25\/26<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Player<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Apps<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Goals<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Viktor Gyokeres<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

34<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

14<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Eberechi Eze<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

7<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Bukayo Saka<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

7<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Leandro Trossard<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

6<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Martin Zubimendi<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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36<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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5<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

It’s not just the goalscorers, though. Creatively, Arsenal could raise their level, and with that in mind, Arteta and Emirates technical director Andrea Berta are homing in on a new playmaking midfielder.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Arsenal in talks to sign Premier League midfielder<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Declan Rice is the cream of the crop, surely threatened by only Bruno Fernandes in his quest for the PFA Premier League<\/a> Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n

However, it would be fair to say that the likes of Martin Odegaard<\/a> and Martin Zubimendi<\/a> have punched below their weight throughout different stages of the campaign.<\/p>\n

Odegaard is the skipper, and he proved during the narrow victory over West Ham United last weekend that he has world-class quality in his boots. Zubimendi, however, is not the key cog in Arteta’s midfield.<\/p>\n

According to TEAMtalk<\/a>, Arsenal could be looking at an upgrade in West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, with talks believed to have been held as the Gunners lodged an initial enquiry.<\/p>\n

The former Sporting CP man is valued at \u00a370m, with a host of Premier League rivals, such as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United also making contact\/<\/p>\n

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\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Fernandes is believed to favour a move to Old Trafford above all other options, but he would hardly turn his nose at a concerted effort from Arsenal, who value his technical ability and tactical versatility across midfield.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Why Fernandes could be a Zubimendi upgrade at Arsenal<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Rice can play in any number of positions, but he is perhaps at his best when in a deep-lying berth, so dynamic and intelligent on the ball while boasting a combativeness that was developed during his days as a centre-back at West Ham.<\/p>\n

Now, Fernandes could emerge as something of a repeat, playing in a more advanced role that would be vacated by Zubimendi.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Arteta-Zubimendi-Arsenal\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

It would be unreasonable to consider the Spain international’s future in north London – he has played a big role in climbing to the top of the English and European ladder, but there’s no question that his level has dipped over the past several months.<\/p>\n

Fernandes, 21, has made significant progress over the past few months, hailed as a “superstar<\/a>” of a talent by football writer Joost van der Leij, already effortless on the ball and with a physical strength that emphasises his world-class potential.<\/p>\n

Indeed, in the Premier League this season, the Brazilian prospect has completed 61% of his dribbles and won 5.6 duels per game on average. He has also averaged 2.9 tackles per match, so boasts the roundedness needed to replace a maestro like Zubimendi.<\/p>\n

Zubimendi, for all his silkiness in possession, has only created one big chance all season, rarely progressing the ball forward. That in itself is not a negative, but there’s no question that Arsenal have lacked some spark in the centre this season, and Fernandes could bring that and then some.<\/p>\n

Fernandes is still so young, but he has already established himself as a standout player with Southampton and the Irons in the Premier League, fighting against relegation thus far but proving that he has the quality to hit higher notes.<\/p>\n

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\n \"West\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

His natural aptitude on the ball would blend perfectly with Rice’s all-action brilliance. This is the up-and-coming talent for Arteta and Berta to go for.<\/p>\n

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\n \"mateus<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t
\n\t\t\tHe’s a better signing than Fernandes: Arsenal begin work on deal for \u00a348m star
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

Arsenal are planning a range of exciting signings this summer. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arsenal are on the brink of greatness, but Mikel Arteta has an insatiable appetite for success, and he is already preparing for a summer transfer that could cement their position as Europe’s new superpower. How to improve a team at the top? Well, as much as Arsenal have been phenomenal in their growth and determination […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":243739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-243738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}