Arsenal are looking to add more reinforcement to their midfield with the signing of Martin Zubimendi having already added Mikel Merino to their squad during he summer transfer window

Prior to pushing Arsenal to pursue Zubimendi, Arteta encouraged the club to enquire about the availability of his Real Sociedad teammate Mikel Merino, who he saw as the perfect fit for the left-eight position.

Zubimendi was one of Arsenal’s original targets but he did not want to leave Real Sociedad, whereas Merino, three years his senior, was open to it. There was a sense that the latter’s arrival had answered the Rice positional dilemma and he would simply revert to his deeper role.