JAKARTA - Martin Zubimendi said he refused Liverpool last summer because the time was not right to leave Real Sociedad.
At that time, Liverpool were in further talks with Sociedad about Zubimendi. However, the Spanish National Team (Timnas) player chose to stay at the club for one more season.
"It wasn't an easy time for me because I wanted to stay at Real Sociedad. When the offer came, I started thinking about my choices."
"The first question I have to answer is whether I want to leave Real Sociedad. That's not the right time."
"I feel Real Sociedad is offering me more opportunities and I still have a lot to learn. So staying at Real Sociedad is the best decision for me," Zubimendi said speaking for the first time on Arsenal's pre-season tour in Singapore.
SEE ALSO:
-
| OLAHRAGA
David de Gea Belum Mau Bocorkan Mengapa Kepindahan ke Real Madrid Gagal
24 Juli 2025, 15:45
Now, his move to England is realized. However, it was not Anfield who became his home, but Emirates who became Arsenal's headquarters.
The 26-year-old completed a 51 million move to Arsenal earlier this month. He expressed his hope to be a differentiator in Arsenal's efforts to achieve glory.
"I don't know what he (Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta) sees in me, but I see him as one of the best coaches in Europe."
"In the end, I wanted a quality coach when I left Real Sociedad."
"I think I have found it. In a few days I've been here, I've seen how thorough he is in every aspect of the game. So, I think he is," said Zubimendi.
Arsenal have not won a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup and narrowly lost to Paris Saint-Germain who finally won in the 2024/2025 Champions League semifinals.
Seeing this, Zubimendi was motivated to contribute trophies to Arsenal.
"In the end, I believe that football relies on details, especially in the Champions League."
"I feel Arsenal are the only team that are really capable of fighting PSG. They lost it because of the small details."
"This season is long and injuries play an important role. So, the fewer players who are injured, the better."
"I hope so (is the difference). The most important thing about this club is that they learn from previous seasons."
"I think the lessons they learned from the end of last season will be key to getting closer to this year's target," said Zubimendi.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
