“Liverpool-Linked Midfield Dynamo Sends Bold Transfer Signal, Snubbing Arsenal Again”
“Liverpool-Linked Midfield Dynamo Sends Bold Transfer Signal, Snubbing Arsenal Again”
Liverpool could be set for disappointment regarding one defensive midfielder who’s believed to have been the subject of a recent transfer enquiry.
Speculation has been mounting online since David Ornstein’s report for The Athletic on Tuesday morning that the Reds are ‘moving ahead with’ the pursuit of a new number 6 from outside the Premier League, with hopeful mentions of Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi by numerous LFC fans on social media.
According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, the 25-year-old’s entourage were contacted ‘in the last week’ regarding ‘prospective interest’ from Anfield, as well as Manchester United.
However, the Spain midfielder is believed to have made it emphatically clear that he has no intention of leaving his current club this summer, having already snubbed interest from Arsenal shortly after the end of last season.
Whilst Liverpool are ‘considering their options in midfield’ and had Zubimendi shortlisted as a player they ‘like’, it’s claimed that the Reds won’t pursue him in this transfer window.
A member of Spain’s victorious Euro 2024 squad, Zubimendi has been hailed by the great Xavi as an ‘extraordinary pivot’ who ‘dominates with and without the ball’ (Fabrizio Romano), while his ex-Real Sociedad teammate Kieran Tierney lauded him as a ‘world-class’ player (The Guardian).
Despite not being especially tall at just under 6 foot, the 25-year-old excels at winning the ball in the air, ranking among the top 19% of midfielders in Europe’s five main leagues last season for successful aerial duels per game (FBref).
Surprisingly for a player who hails from a country renowned for players who take extreme pride in retaining possession, his passing statistics don’t compare favourably with positional peers at the top level (FBref), although that hasn’t stopped him from earning some glowing recognition.
With Liverpool now likely to strike Zubimendi off the list of prospective midfield additions this month, it remains to be seen who’ll be the focus of Richard Hughes’ attention between now and 30 August.
Journalist Steve Kay cited Porto’s Alan Varela as a player who the Reds ‘want to bring in’, and other candidates might well come to the fore over the next few days as the rumour mill approaches overdrive.
We trust in the Anfield hierarchy to make the right call as to who’d be the best fit in Arne Slot’s engine room, and whoever that may be, we just hope they end up moving to LFC while the transfer window is still open.
