Gianluigi Buffon has stepped down from his role as head of delegation for Italy following their failure to qualify for the World Cup, marking a significant moment in Italian football history.
It is for good reason that Arteta rates one of his more recent signings so highly. Zubimendi has been justifying his manager's comments since signing from boyhood club Real Sociedad in July 2025. The 27-year-old has played the most minutes of any of Arsenal's outfield players and has been chipping in with goals too. And that goal return may have come as a surprise, with Zubimendi signed primarily as a defensive midfielder but now having scored six times in 34 appearances - the most he has registered during any campaign in his career.
I'd say that was probably the worst that I felt in any moment," he said. "Obviously, I've lost finals before. To have that responsibility, you almost feel like it fell on my shoulders, and I guess not being able to execute something that I've been able to execute many a time in my career, I think that was the hardest part to process and take.
