If you ask most fans which team had the best defence in the Premier League, most would likely say Arsenal.
Likewise, given the amount of money they spent in the summer, Liverpool would likely be described as having the best attack by most.
However, when it comes to the midfield, opinion could be split, although with players like Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Christian Norgaard, it might just be Mikel Arteta’s side again.
In particular, Zubimendi and Rice have had brilliant starts to the campaign, and what’s even more impressive is that the North Londoners could have had an even stronger midfield had they not sold an international who is a hybrid of the Spaniard and Englishman.
Zubimendi's start to life at Arsenal
Considering the club spent the best part of a year chasing the former Real Sociedad star, paying around £52m for his services and beating Real Madrid to do so, it would be fair to say that there was a level of expectation that he’d start his Arsenal career in positive fashion this season.
Fortunately, while there have been a few moments in which he’s clearly been surprised by the speed of English football, that is exactly what has happened.
For example, the game-changing Basque star has started all six Premier League games so far, as well as the Champions League clash away to Athletic Bilbao.
In those games, he has racked up two goals, both of which came in the game against Nottingham Forest, courtesy of a sensational volley and a perfectly placed header.
Moreover, there have been several times when he should have earned himself an assist, most recently when he played a perfectly dinked ball over the top of Newcastle United’s defence on Sunday, only for Nick Pope to pull off a brilliant reaction save and stop Jurrien Timber.
He’s not just been a goal threat, though, as, according to FBref, he ranks in the top 7% of midfielders in the Premier League this season for blocking passes and the aerial duels won, both per 90.
In short, Zubimendi has come in and almost straight away has become Arteta’s conductor from deep, helping break up opposition attacks and kickstart them for the Gunners.
He’s not the only summer signing making a splash in midfield in the Premier League this season, though, as a former Arsenal star who has been compared to the Spaniard and Rice is having a great campaign himself.
The former Arsenal star who is a Zubimendi & Rice hybrid
There are a few former Arsenal stars enjoying a positive start to the season this year, from Alex Iwobi at Fulham to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with Marseille.
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Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
However, although the pair are playing at the moment, they have not been compared to both Zubimendi and Rice, unlike Granit Xhaka.
Yes, the Swiss international, who left the club for around £21m in the summer of 2023 and then joined Sunderland this summer, is the former Arsenal star playing so well he’s been compared to two of Arteta’s very best players.
The comparison stems from FBref, which has concluded that in the Premier League this season, the Englishman has been the third most similar midfielder to the Black Cats ace, and the Spaniard is the eighth most similar.
To gain a better understanding of how this conclusion was reached, you can take a look at the underlying numbers in which the former Gunners star ranks closely to the two international stars.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.02
0.03
Expected Assists
0.10
0.10
Through Balls
0.17
0.19
Switches
0.50
0.58
Shot-Creating Actions
3.33
3.29
Goal-Creating Actions
0.67
0.58
When it comes to the former West Ham United captain, these metrics include non-penalty expected goals, expected assists, through balls, switches, shot-creating actions, and more.
It’s clear from these numbers and the eye-test that, like the Englishman, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace still has a wand of a left foot, and as Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley puts it, is “still one of the best passers in Europe.”
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.16
0.14
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.67
0.51
Tackles Won
0.83
1.02
Interceptions
1.17
1.19
Successful Take-Ons
0.17
0.17
Carries
36.2
37.1
Then, when it comes to the San Sebastián-born ace, the similarities tend to fall on the more defensive side of things, with their tackles won and interceptions per 90 being a key area in which the pair rank closely.
Ultimately, there is a strong case for Arsenal having the best midfield in the league, thanks largely to Rice and Zubimendi.
However, just think how much better their squad would be had they also kept hold of Xhaka.