Major lunchtime transfer update could enrage Liverpool fans as £51m target falls by the wayside
Yesterday at 09:36 AM
For many Liverpool fans, the frustration of a hitherto inactive January transfer window has been compounded by a bombshell report which came to light on Tuesday lunchtime.
Last summer, the Reds had identified Martin Zubimendi as their primary target for Arne Slot and though they were on course to sign the Real Sociedad midfielder, only for him to turn down the opportunity to sign for the Merseyside giants.
Five months on, the 25-year-old appears bound for the Premier League after all…but Anfield won't be his destination.
Arsenal set to beat Liverpool to the signing of Zubimendi
On Tuesday, the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel reported that Arsenal will land the Spain international at the end of this season, having been courted by Mikel Arteta for more than a year.
Transfer talks are understood to be 'at an advanced stage', with some sources even indicating that the deal is 'virtually completed'. The Gunners had wanted Zubimendi to join this month, but La Real have insisted that he stays put until the summer.
The north London club will trigger the midfielder's €60m (£51m) release clause, something that Liverpool had been prepared to do last August before he rejected the Merseysiders.
Liverpool not lacking in midfield, but missing out on Zubimendi isn't a good look
The torment over missing out on Zubimendi a few months ago subsided as Slot put his faith in Ryan Gravenberch as the Reds' midfield anchor, something which seemed a significant gamble at first but quickly proved to be a masterstroke.
As per FBref, the Netherlands international has outperformed his counterpart with La Real this season for pass completion (90% to 83.7%), key passes (16 to 12), shot-creating actions per game (1.97 to 1.87), successful take-ons (19 to 14), aerial duel success (76.2% to 73.2%) and interceptions per 90 minutes (1.97 to 1.44).
However, following today's revelation that Arsenal are set to gazump Liverpool for the Euro 2024 winner, some familiar frustrations could come to the fore among Reds supporters.
How did Richard Hughes come so close to landing his top target of last summer's transfer window only to miss out on him, and then see a direct rival pick up the pieces and get the deal done with what appears to be a minimum of fuss?
The Anfield hierarchy had already been in the firing line over the protracted contract sagas involving Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, none of which seem close to a resolution, and watching the Gunners snap up Zubimendi won't do anything to quell fans' discontent.
The silver lining is that Liverpool already have a formidable midfield with the likes of Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and the underrated Wataru Endo, and Slot will merely be focusing on obtaining results on the pitch, something he's done to a consistent degree thus far in L4.
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