Martin Zubimendi has revealed he was warned he would face a fight to maintain his status as a regular starter at Arsenal this season, but insists he has not given up hope of winning back his place.
The Spain international joined the Gunners 18 months ago following a £60million move from Real Sociedad. Zubimendi had come close to signing for Liverpool a year earlier, but was convinced to snub the Reds' interest and delay a move to England, with Mikel Arteta outlining his determination to make him a key component of his midfield rebuild.
The 27-year-old's decision to move to the north London club initially looked an inspired one as he played almost every game over the course of the first two thirds of a campaign that ultimately ended in glory.
Reduced Role and Increased Competition
Fatigue, however, eventually caught up with Zubimendi and his place was effectively taken by teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly during the run-in and he has been reduced to a bit-part role ever since.
Arsenal's decision to sanction the signing of Bruno Guimaraes has only served to further heighten the intense competition for places and, as a result, Zubimendi is yet to start a Premier League game this season.
That lack of game time has sparked intense speculation that a January move could be on the cards for the World Cup winner.
Transfer Speculation and Response
Chelsea, who are in the market for a midfielder and whose manager, Xabi Alonso, attempted to sign Zubimendi during his brief stint in charge of Real Madrid, are said to be considering renewing interest having made tentative enquiries during the summer.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, have been positioned as the frontrunners, with Diego Simeone said to be dreaming of signing the Arsenal star with reports in Spain going as far as saying that a deal is close.
Responding to a whirlwind of rumours, Zubimendi told Marca: 'To be honest, I'm sometimes surprised by the press too. I understand that the winter transfer window is approaching and rumors can surface, but I think we need to be a bit more careful with what we publish.'
'Ultimately, everyone has a team they play for, and we need to respect that. I've also read that I might be close, but not at all.'
'Often a news story comes out and it seems that if it doesn't come true, it's quickly forgotten and nothing happens. I'm learning how this world works and getting used to it, but sometimes I could avoid a lot of the messages I receive because of this kind of news.'
Arteta's Warning and Zubimendi's Patience
Asked whether his current predicament has come as a surprise, Zubimendi revealed Arteta had been totally transparent at the season's outset and outlined the role he envisaged for a player he fought so hard to sign.
He said: 'I spoke with Mikel at the beginning of the season. As he does with all the players, he explained the plan to me.'
'He warned me that there were new signings and that there would be playing time for everyone. And here we are, fighting for it.'
'I understand because, for me, we're among the five best teams in Europe. There are some fantastic players. New signings have arrived in my position, and there were already some very good players. I'm also part of that competition that makes it so difficult to get playing time.'
He added: 'I'm calm and happy with how I'm handling this situation. It's something I've never experienced before, and I think you learn from these situations too.'
'Besides, it's in moments like these that you need the people around you the most, and they're there for you.'
'I'm patient. When you've been playing a lot of minutes and your role changes to not playing as much, I'm able to see the positive side. I think everything passes, that just like last year the opposite happened to me and I played practically everything, this can change very quickly.'
