Arsenal eye £17m-rated Martin Zubimendi understudy as Man City interest grows
Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has made 18 Premier League appearances so far this season.
Arsenal head into their next game against Aston Villa hoping for a better result than the last time they met. The Gunners have a two-point lead over Man City in the Premier League, and just three points over Villa. However, injury problems have been a recent issue for Mikel Arteta.
Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and more could miss the Villa game, which means Arteta may have to get creative with his starting XI. Looking at the January transfer window, the Arsenal boss has suggested that he may decide to bring in reinforcements to help mitigate the injury blows.
Timber has played the second-most minutes for Arsenal this season behind David Raya, so it is no surprise that he is injured. After Timber, Martin Zubimendi has played the third-most minutes this season, so the Gunners could look to get some cover for the Spanish international.
Arsenal eye Zubimendi understudy Mendoza
Seeing as Christian Norgaard is the only cover for Zubimendi, Arsenal could sign a holding midfielder in the January transfer window. Reports have previously linked the Gunners to Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, who has a £17m release clause in his contract.
According to Football London, Andrea Berta is plotting a move for the 20-year-old in January. Mendoza has made 12 La Liga appearances this season so far, scoring one goal, and the Gunners seem in pole position to sign him. However, Goal.com have also reported that Man City are keeping tabs on the Spaniard, as they would like more cover for Rodri in Pep Guardiola’s midfield.
If both clubs do make a move for Mendoza, the choice could come down to who offers him more regular game time. For Arsenal, they could play him when Arteta wants to rotate and give Zubimendi a rest, and for City, the same applies for Rodri. But City have been playing Nico Gonzalez in that position, so Mendoza could have some more competition if he joins the Manchester side.
Holding midfielder seems a priority for the Gunners
Based on the recent reports linking the Gunners to Mendoza, it seems that Arteta wants to add more depth in the holding midfield role for the second half of the season. However, Mendoza isn’t the only midfielder Arsenal have been linked with in recent days.
As we prepare to get into the January transfer window, Arsenal have also been linked with Club Brugge midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic, who previously played for Inter Milan. The 20-year-old is more of a defensive midfielder, who can also feature as a centre-back, which could be handy for Arteta.
He has a similar market value to Mendoza, but could cost more than £17m because he joined Brugge in the summer, so they are likely reluctant to sell him. Either way, the links indicate that Arteta is keen to strengthen in midfield heading into the rest of the year.