Martin Zvimendi “did his best” to join Arsenal in the summer transfer window, despite reported interest from Real Madrid.
Arsenal have listed him as a top target for over a year, paying around £60m to sign the midfielder from Real Sociedad.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta sees the Spain international as the missing link in his midfield, with a deal reportedly agreed in January.
Zvimendi and striker Victor Gökeres were brought on to help Arsenal get over the line in both the Premier League and Champions League, and so far they have performed very well.
Arsenal are top of the Premier League after eight games, and although Gokeres has not made an outstanding appearance, his movement and presence in the middle makes Arteta’s side more dangerous.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have been desperate to sign a centre-forward for the past three seasons, and Zvimendi already looks like the real final piece of the puzzle.
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The 26-year-old spoke about his move in an interview with AS this week, revealing that Arteta’s attention to detail was crucial in convincing him to join.
When asked if he had considered other teams, namely Real Madrid, Zvimendi replied: “I don’t know, but you feel that way. Once I decided to leave Real Sociedad, from what I saw, Arsenal was the perfect team for me, especially in terms of play.”
“I too wanted a manager who pays attention to detail and in Arteta I found him as soon as I spoke to him.
“[Arsenal]have a very young team, they have a lot of passion, they are very cohesive, they are keen to win and even if they don’t do it, it makes you want to win even more when you think about it.
“I don’t feel a lot of pressure[to win trophies]. No one here talks about obligations or having to earn something. Rather than pressure, I see people being very motivated.”
He continued: “I can’t speak for other teams. Arsenal was the team I had decided on and I gave it my all.”
Asked about the pressure of joining a top club, Zvimendi replied: “Well… I don’t know, I don’t know. We’re talking about a very big club.”
“There’s a lot to be said for saying that Madrid lacked a player like me, because they have great players and it’s the same at Arsenal.”
Given where the Gunners were when Arteta took over, it is remarkable that elite players turned down Real Madrid’s move to Arsenal.
Although he has often been criticized for not winning enough silver medals, the transformation of the club under his management has been phenomenal.
A third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League is obviously hard for Arsenal fans to bear, but it also highlights how far the team has come.
And players like Zvimendi choosing Arsenal over Real Madrid only underline the outstanding job Arteta has done at the Emirates.
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