Arsenal signed Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad last summer in a deal worth slightly more than his £51million release clause. He made 57 appearances across all competitions last season, and Arsenal won the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final with him involved. Now the story has shifted from usage to value, and from value to whether his place is still secure.

Carragher's warning on Zubimendi

Jamie Carragher did not leave much room for doubt. Speaking to metro.co.uk, he said: "Do you think it's the end for Zubimendi there? In terms of being what he was supposed to be when he was brought in. He was supposed to come in and be this controller. I don't see him ever getting that place back now."

That line lands because Zubimendi was signed to control games, but he lost his place during the run-in and was left out of the Champions League final against PSG. His recent numbers do not help the case for an automatic recall either. In his most recent five matches, he had a low point of 21 minutes, and his latest recorded rating in that sample was 6.6.

Bruno Guimarães is part of why the picture looks different now. His season rating is 7.11, and he has four goal contributions in his season aggregate. That gives Arsenal a midfield option who is producing more directly, while Zubimendi is left trying to prove he should still be the first choice for the role he was signed to fill.

Arsenal's price tag and the suitors watching

The other part of this is the market. Arsenal are reportedly unwilling to sell Zubimendi for less than €90million (£77million), while Chelsea and Real Madrid are both said to be interested.

That does not mean a sale is imminent. It does mean Arsenal have turned a difficult squad question into a serious valuation game, and that usually invites attention. Zubimendi is still only a year into a move that cost more than his release clause, but the club's asking price suggests they are open to the idea that his role is no longer fixed.

The next move belongs to Arsenal, and the next selection call will tell us more than the noise around the price tag. If Zubimendi is restored to the side, Carragher's warning looks overcooked. If he is left out again, the club will have made its position on the midfield hierarchy very clear.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →