£51m star Zubimendi is modern day Makelele with a sprinkling of Sergio Busquets

LAST summer, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi was seriously tempted by a move to the Premier League.

Liverpool were keen to give new manager Arne Slot the midfielder he craved – an impressive ball-playing, tackle-crunching Spaniard who has been tipped to be the next Rodri.

Ultimately however, Slot and Liverpool were turned down, with Zubimendi persuaded to remain at his beloved Sociedad by his coach Imanol Alguacil and sporting director Roberto Olabe.

They reportedly did so by preparing a presentation on the pros and cons of a Prem switch, pulling on the 26-year-old’s San Sebastian heartstrings with pictures of his favourite local tapas restaurants and mountain hikes he enjoys in the Basque Country.

Zubimendi claimed recently: “It is where I feel most comfortable”.

It worked, but what Alguacil and Olabe did not anticipate was a similar approach by Arsenal and boss Mikel Arteta – a Basque boy convincing another Basque boy to make London his new home next season for £51m. The Gunners appear to have got their man.

Arteta and Arsenal’s presentations for potential new signings are nothing new, leaving most players and agents who experience it astounded by the level of detail and care put into them, led previously by ex-sporting director Edu and his assistant Jason Ayto – now the interim.

Zubimendi was no different, sold on the project and vision at the Emirates almost instantly, as well as wanting to follow in Arteta’s inspiring footsteps, having also left his birthplace of San Sebastian for the bright lights of Barcelona in 1997 aged 15.

Arsenal and Sociedad also have a great relationship and respect at board level, having recently negotiated Mikel Merino’s North London arrival for around £32m last summer.

It has left Liverpool and Slot gutted, and they’re not the only ones. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United are all huge fans of the player.

And ironically, United now get to watch him up close on Thursday night in their Europa League last 16 first leg clash away at Real Sociedad.

For all the noise around him over the past few years, Zubimendi is not a loud character. He is down-to-earth, humble, at times even shy and anxious.

It is said that while making the decision over whether to sign for Liverpool, he isolated himself at home, refusing to use his phone to fully lock in on a big decision that he also consulted his family over.

However, he is a different beast when he steps on the pitch. In the last summer window, Arsenal bought Merino because he was a “dual monster”.

Zubimendi is not too far behind in that respect.

He is aggressive, assertive. A snarling, hungry athlete of a man who covers every blade of grass competing for space, the ball or a well-timed tackle.

A modern-day Claude Makelele with a sprinkling of Sergio Busquets. Put simply, Zubimendi is the cog between the defence and the midfield

And right now in Europe, he is the closest thing to City’s Rodri.

In the Euro 2024 final against England back in July, Spain were rocked by Rodri’s injury that forced him off at half-time. And yet, his absence was barely felt with Zubimendi on to replace him.

He is used to pressure. Even with the eyes of the world on him days after performing his Liverpool U-turn, he did not miss a single training session, even taking part in a team photo shoot.

He has also had to overcome the odds to even reach this position. In his early years at Sociedad, the coaches were initially not keen on him, favouring other players and only signing him up at the last minute – a decision that proved wise.

Over a decade on and he is positioned to light up another big occasion, showing United – and the rest of England – what they can expect should he grace the Prem next season.