{"id":14602,"date":"2025-11-21T00:41:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T00:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/arsenal-cult-hero-details-the-role-he-played-for-mikel-arteta-in-the-transfer-of-martin-zvimendi\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T00:41:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T00:41:40","slug":"arsenal-cult-hero-details-the-role-he-played-for-mikel-arteta-in-the-transfer-of-martin-zvimendi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/arsenal-cult-hero-details-the-role-he-played-for-mikel-arteta-in-the-transfer-of-martin-zvimendi\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal cult hero details the role he played for Mikel Arteta in the transfer of Martin Zvimendi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nacho Monreal, a three-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal, has revealed he played a key role in the Gunners’ deal to sign Martin Zvimendi from Real Sociedad.<\/h2>\n
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November 20, 2025, 11:45<\/span>Updated November 20, 2025 14:45<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Martin Zvimendi has bounced back to life at Arsenal like a duck to water.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Martin Zvimendi’s move to Arsenal was not only years in the making, but also orchestrated by one of Mikel Arteta’s former Gunners team-mates.<\/p>\n
Three-time FA Cup winner Nacho Monreal shared the Real Sociedad dressing room with the technically gifted 26-year-old maestro and quickly realized he had all the tools to prove himself ready for the Premier League.<\/p>\n
So he contacted Arteta and encouraged him to break the rush to sign Zvimendi.<\/p>\n
Speaking via BetMGM ahead of the North London derby, Monreal said: “Yes, I spoke to him (Arteta) and the whole club a long time ago.<\/p>\n
“I said to them, ‘You have to look at Martin Zvimendi,’ because for me when I arrived at Real Sociedad, Mikel Merino, for example, was already playing for Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund.<\/p>\n
read more: Bukayo Saka shows his strength as Arsenal star prepares for new contract<\/span><\/span>read more: Mikel Arteta issues ‘stern’ warning to Arsenal stars, receives important message<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
“He was already a good player, but Martin was starting from scratch, coming from the academy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the beginning, even from the first moment, I could see something different, something special.<\/p>\n
“This guy is 20, 21 years old and he’s performing like he’s been playing for 10 years already.<\/p>\n
“He has something different and was a really, really good move in my opinion.<\/p>\n
“Yes, they paid a lot of money for him, but he deserved it. He is still young and will remain at the top level for the next six, seven, eight years. This was a good move for Arsenal and of course for Martin.”<\/p>\n
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\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Monreal, along with teammate Santi Cazorla, frequently visited Arteta.<\/span>(Image: Stuart McFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Monreal, who currently works as a football agent for Global Asses, spent three seasons in the Basque Country alongside \u00a355m Gunners star Zvimendi before retiring in 2022.<\/p>\n
But Arteta already had things under control, so he didn’t feel the need to step in and sell Arsenal’s project to the Euro 2024 winners.<\/p>\n
The former left-back said: “We didn’t talk about Arsenal exactly, but the truth is that Liverpool were interested in signing him and he said he was not ready to leave Real Sociedad.”<\/p>\n
“But when he received the offer from Arsenal this year, he knew it was the right time and the right place to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Mikel called him, but Mikel is really, really good when he calls players and tells them exactly what they want to hear.<\/p>\n
“He’s a very, very smart player, but Arsenal really needed this kind of player.”<\/p>\n
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\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Martin Zvimendi didn’t need time to settle down at Arsenal<\/span>(Image: Stuart McFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
It is also a great personal pleasure for Monreal to see three Spanish internationals playing key roles in Arsenal’s Premier League title win.<\/p>\n
He also talked about shot-stopper David Raya, who continues to grow with Merino: “Merino is playing very well and scoring a lot of goals.<\/p>\n
“When I was at Sociedad, I didn’t score that many goals, but now I play different roles at Arsenal, always giving 100 percent, helping the team and always smiling.<\/p>\n
“Raya also did an incredible job and made a lot of saves. It was a great signing.”<\/p>\n
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![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36277671.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_GettyImages-2238514267-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Santi](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36172790.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-491807435.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article35898098.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_GettyImages-2235188116.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"content](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article33404045.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\")
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