Martín Zubimendi Faces Reduced Playing Time at Arsenal Amidst Interest
Martín Zubimendi arrives at Spain’s concentration in Las Rozas facing a sharp contrast between his role with the national team and his diminished playing time at Arsenal, where he has started just one official match in the Premier League.
Rodri’s injury returns the midfield helm to the San Sebastián native, who previously filled the role convincingly between September 2024 and the World Cup qualifiers. During that stretch, Spain reached the Nations League final and secured a spot in the U.S. tournament without missing a beat.
With him debuted in the absolute in that friendly in full pandemic in which the under-21 made absolute selection before the European Championship because all the elders were isolated after the positive of Sergio Busquets, and has wanted destiny that Zubimendi has had much prominence in the two major titles of this generation despite starting as a substitute.
That international stability contrasts with his current reality in London. Following a demanding 2025-26 campaign where he made 57 appearances and surpassed 4,200 minutes under Mikel Arteta, Zubimendi has accumulated just 379 minutes across 11 official appearances at the start of the 2026-27 season, leaving him behind 17 teammates in playing time, according to data cited by OneFootball.
Arteta acknowledged the midfielder’s situation while offering a direct challenge. “It is a player important for nosotros,” the Arsenal manager said, before adding: “What he has to do is, when he goes out, demonstrate that he deserves to play.” Someone very close to the footballer said: “Es que hay muchos muy buenos.”
Midfield competition at the English club intensified following the summer arrival of Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for nearly 90 million euros, alongside the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly. Transfermarkt values Zubimendi at 65 million euros, with his contract running through June 2030, according to OneFootball. In London they would not either rule out negotiating during the winter market, provided they receive an important economic proposal.
Those figures and a lack of regular minutes have fueled speculation about a potential departure during the upcoming winter transfer window.
Team Talk reported that the player has communicated to the London board his desire to leave in January 2027, drawing interest from Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, as noted by OneFootball. Despite that link, the footballer would view with good eyes returning to LaLiga, where Real Madrid appears as an attractive alternative.
Zubimendi addressed the rumors directly in an interview with MARCA, denying any agreement with Atlético de Madrid and insisting his focus remains on Arsenal.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente continues to back the midfielder’s reliability on the pitch. “We are fortunate that we have the best defensive midfielder in the world and the second best defensive midfielder in the world,” De la Fuente regularly asserts regarding Rodri and Zubimendi, as reported by El Mundo.
Preliminary talks between club intermediaries could intensify during the first weeks of December 2026 ahead of the January transfer window. His sporting situation, the interest in returning to Spain and the Madrid need to reinforce the midfield could turn him into one of the names to follow during the next market.