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Martin Zubimendi on Arteta, Odegaard, Merino, the EPL, Cesc, Monreal & more | First Interview

After completing his move, our new midfielder Martin Zubimendi revealed he cannot wait to get down to business in our red and white. The Euro 2024 winner joins from Real Sociedad where he spent 15 years, coming through their famed academy to become a leading light in the middle of the park. While leaving his hometown of San Sebastian wasn’t an easy decision, Martin was left in no doubt that his future was set for north London. “Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” our new midfielder said in his first interview. “It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. Andrea [Berta] and Mikel [Arteta] took excellent care of me, leaving me with no doubts whatsoever. “This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it's a big change, but I'm ready to get started.” Zubimendi’s path to success follows similarities to Arteta. The pair turned out for the same youth team, Antiguoko, before both representing Real Sociedad. He said: “We have a lot in common. We come from the same city and played for the same teams. We'll have something to talk about off the pitch, I'm happy about that.” When Martin heads to the Sobha Realty Training Centre, he will be greeted by a few familiar faces. One of whom is Martin Odegaard, and while they only played together for three months, our captain made a lasting impression on our new number 36. He said: “Apart from how hard Martin works on the pitch, I was surprised by how much he works off the pitch at the gym. “He is 100% focused on his fitness. As for Real, it's difficult when you're on loan, but Martin experienced all that.” Zubimendi also featured alongside Mikel Merino during his time at the Reale Arena, making 169 appearances together. As well as also knowing David Raya from the Spanish national team, Martin hopes this will help him hit the ground running in N5. “I'm happy to be here with them. I've played many games alongside Merino over the years. “It's important because it will make the transition much easier for me, and I'm sure they'll be a great help.” #arsenal #zubimendi #afc #premierleague #epl #championsleague #ucl Enjoy highlights, training, behind the scenes and documentaries to get closer to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Kim Little, Declan Rice, Beth Mead, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Stina Blackstenius and more. Subscribe to the Official Arsenal YouTube Channel: https://arsn.al/youtube Follow us on Facebook: https://arsn.al/facebook Follow us on X: https://arsn.al/twitter Follow us on Instagram: https://arsn.al/instagram Follow us on TikTok: https://arsn.al/tiktok

Arsenal

Welcome to The Arsenal Kepa Arrizabalaga!

Spanish international goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has joined the club. The 30-year-old has won major honours for clubs and his country, and is vastly experienced in the Premier League with 140 appearances to his name. Kepa arrives from Chelsea, having spent the last two seasons on loan at Real Madrid and Bournemouth, and joins us to reinforce our goalkeeping unit. Hailing from the north of Spain, he began his career with Athletic Bilbao, joining their academy aged 10 and progressing to the first team via spells with Basconia and Bilbao Athletic. He also spent valuable time on loan with Ponferradina and Real Valladolid before establishing himself with Athletic Club as one of the top goalkeepers in his homeland. In August 2018, Kepa became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he joined Chelsea, and during his time in west London he was part of the squads that lifted the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. In 2023/24, he returned to Spain to join Real Madrid on loan and played his part as the club went on to win the Champions League and Spanish Super Cup. Kepa then spent last season with Bournemouth, making 35 appearances in all competitions. Having represented Spain at youth level, he made his senior debut in a 5-0 win against Costa Rica in November 2017 and has gone on to make 13 senior appearances for his country, as well as winning the 2023 UEFA Nations League. After signing his contract, Kepa said: “I'm really, really happy to be here, really excited and looking forward to what is coming. “The ambition that is shown in this club, when I talk with Mikel [Arteta] and Inaki [Cana], how much they show me their desire to win… I think we are so close to winning and, hopefully, altogether, we can achieve it.” Sporting Director, Andrea Berta, added: “We are really excited to have Kepa join our Arsenal family. He is a player with great experience, someone who has already won major trophies, and we cannot wait for him to join the group and help the club win. “Kepa knows it is an exciting time to be at Arsenal and we know he is a player who will bring with him a winning mentality. We welcome him and his family to the club, and look forward to him meeting the players and staff, with everyone excited to see him.” Arteta added: “We are really happy to have Kepa joining us. He is a player we know, having come up against him many times in recent seasons. He brings a wealth of experience, which his teammates will benefit from, and he has a real hunger to win. “Kepa works hard and will elevate our levels. I know he will fit in perfectly, already knowing some of his teammates, and we are really excited about his future with us.” Kepa will wear the number 13 shirt and will immediately join up with his new teammates at the Sobha Realty Training Centre. Everyone at Arsenal welcomes Kepa to the club. The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes. #arsenal Enjoy highlights, training, behind the scenes and documentaries to get closer to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Kim Little, Declan Rice, Beth Mead, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Stina Blackstenius and more. Subscribe to the Official Arsenal YouTube Channel: https://arsn.al/youtube Follow us on Facebook: https://arsn.al/facebook Follow us on X: https://arsn.al/twitter Follow us on Instagram: https://arsn.al/instagram Follow us on TikTok: https://arsn.al/tiktok

Arsenal

Myles Lewis-Skelly signs new contract ❤️ | Family, friends, coaches & more surprise MLS

Myles Lewis-Skelly has signed a new long-term contract with the club. The 18-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2024/25, becoming the latest graduate from our Hale End academy to cement his position in our first-team squad. Myles joined us as an eight-year-old and went on to play an instrumental role in each of the age groups as he moved through the years. He rose to prominence during the 2022/23 season, when he scored a memorable late winner for our under-18s against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup semi-final at Emirates Stadium, and played every minute in the heart of our midfield during our run to the final. Six months later, Myles signed his first professional contract with the club upon turning 17, but the 2024/25 season saw Myles burst onto the scene as part of our defence, making 39 first-team appearances in all competitions. A senior debut came in our 2-2 draw away to Manchester City in the Premier League in September 2024, with a first start a few days later in our 5-1 home win against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup. Myles became the youngest player to start a Champions League fixture for us since 2011 with an impressive performance in our 3-0 win against Monaco in December. Having made his first Premier League start at home to Everton just a few days after his introduction on the European stage, the season only got better for Myles as he featured in 19 of our 21 remaining Premier League fixtures. That run included his first Arsenal goal in our famous 5-1 win against Manchester City at Emirates Stadium. As well as his impact in the league phase of the Champions League, Myles contributed in the knockout rounds with two assists. The first of those came in our 7-1 away win against PSV Eindhoven, and the second when he set up Mikel Merino to score the third goal in our memorable 3-0 victory at home to Real Madrid in the quarter-final first leg. Having represented England at youth level, Myles was called up to the senior national team in March to represent the Three Lions in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and now has a total of three caps to his name. A debut that charmed the nation, Myles scored after 20 minutes in front of Wembley Stadium, netting the first goal of Thomas Tuchel’s reign as England defeated Albania 2-0. Reflecting after signing his new contract, Myles said: “I’m so proud and happy. I know those words are simple, but I think they sum up how I feel signing for this club. I’m a fan and it’s like a dream come true. “I've embodied the values of Hale End and come through. I've still got a lot of years ahead of me, so if I can keep staying humble and being a good person, that's the most important thing to me. “I know I've taken a lot of experience from the games about the positive moments, the mistakes that I've made. I'm definitely more ready now for the next season. I just want to keep learning and keep improving. “I want a legacy. I want to win everything there is to win in the game. I want to win trophies on the biggest stages whilst being a person that's always learning and stays grounded, which is so important.” Myles’ new contract is subject to the completion of regulatory processes. #arsenal #afc #arsenalfc Enjoy highlights, training, behind the scenes and documentaries to get closer to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Kim Little, Declan Rice, Beth Mead, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Stina Blackstenius and more. Subscribe to the Official Arsenal YouTube Channel: https://arsn.al/youtube Follow us on Facebook: https://arsn.al/facebook Follow us on X: https://arsn.al/twitter Follow us on Instagram: https://arsn.al/instagram Follow us on TikTok: https://arsn.al/tiktok

Arsenal

HIGHLIGHTS | Arsenal vs Brentford (1-1) | Partey | Premier League

Thomas Partey’s goal at the end of a lightning fast counter-attack was not enough to take all three points against Brentford. After a low-key first half, which was in stark contrast to Tuesday night’s drama, we finally went ahead on the hour mark. The move started when David Raya claimed a Brentford corner inside his own six-yard box, and quickly released Declan Rice with a low roll out. Rice stormed forward before finding Partey, who was up from right back to drive home. Brentford levelled though when Yoane Wissa swivelled smartly inside the area to scoop his shot beyond Raya. We couldn’t find the winner after that, and attentions now turn back to the Champions League and our trip to Spain next week. After the euphoria of Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Real Madrid, there was a job to be done in the Premier League, to keep up the pursuit of Liverpool at the top of the table. Rice – fresh from his two incredible free-kicks on Tuesday night – was involved in our first two chances. He laid the ball off to Ethan Nwaneri inside the area who shifted it onto his left foot, but his shot was charged down. Then Rice started a move that resulted in Gabriel Martinelli winning a corner with a near post shot. Aside from that though, there was little incident of note in the opening 20 minutes. Raya was called into action midway through the half, saving with his legs when Kristoffer Ajer broke into the box from right back. We had the ball in the net shortly afterwards, but it was disallowed by the new semi-automated offside system via a VAR review. Nwaneri’s inswinging delivery was inch-perfect, but unfortunately the timing of Kieran Tierney’s run wasn’t. The full back, making his first Premier League start since May 2023, planted his header beyond Mark Flekken, but replays showed he’d drifted offside at the crucial moment. The visitors were arguably lucky not to be a man down when Christian Norgaard dived in with a scissor-challenge on Martinelli. The referee deemed it only worthy of a yellow card. A vital last-ditch block from Ajer kept the match goalless. William Saliba – who was seeing more of the ball than most in forward areas - floated his pass into Martinelli, who took it under his spell wonderfully first time, before getting his shot away. But the Norwegian defender dived in to deny him. The half ended with Leandro Trossard trying his luck from 20 yards. While his left-footed drive didn’t lack power, Flekken was able to push it away for a corner. We took the lead on the hour mark, and it was the result of a simply stunning counter attack. Raya claimed a Brentford corner inside a crowded penalty area and immediately rolled the ball out to Rice. Our midfielder strode forward and turned on the turbo boosters. He carried the ball sixty, seventy yards before slipping a pass to the overlapping Partey who rammed his shot high into the net. From box to box in the blink of an eye. Mikel Arteta sent on Martin Odegaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bukayo Saka in a triple change just afterwards. We looked set to take charge with the Emirates crowd raising the decibel levels again. But it was Brentford who struck back. This time we didn’t clear the danger from a corner, and when the second cross came back in, Nathan Collins headed it down for Wissa to finish well, with his back to goal. It was back to square one, and we had the chance to instantly restore the lead when Saka dispossessed Flekken on the edge of the area. He spent just a fraction too long on the ball though, and he was tackled before he could get his shot away. We had to play the final ten minutes, including injury-time, with just 10 men, as Jorginho went off injured after we’d already made all five subs. Saka went on a mazy run deep in stoppage time in an attempt to find the late winner, but his low cutbacks were twice cut out. #arsenal #premierleague Enjoy highlights, training, behind the scenes and documentaries to get closer to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Kim Little, Declan Rice, Beth Mead, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Stina Blackstenius and more. Subscribe to the Official Arsenal YouTube Channel: https://arsn.al/youtube Follow us on Facebook: https://arsn.al/facebook Follow us on X: https://arsn.al/twitter Follow us on Instagram: https://arsn.al/instagram Follow us on TikTok: https://arsn.al/tiktok