#midfield

#midfield

Pedri has been a pillar in Barcelona's midfield and has only gotten better with every passing season. It is seemingly unthinkable for Barcelona to manage without his brilliance in midfield.

I never had this feeling - I'm not involved in all this social media thing. I think that's a good thing. Every supporter of Barcelona can see it's great to have him in the team. For me it's fantastic to see, because he enjoys training, he enjoys playing with these guys. And he has huge quality.

"He's already one of the best in the world at that age. He's a unique player, one we all enjoy watching every time he plays. I think Barcelona really notices it when Pedri isn't there."

You have to take it step by step to achieve big goals. I look up to Rodri [Hernandez Cascante] a bit in that respect; for me, he was one of the best for a long time. Training and playing alongside players like Joshua Kimmich, [Harry] Kane, and others every day is unique.

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 really like Carlos Baleba at Brighton and think he could replace Casemiro at Manchester United, Stam told TEAMtalk. I like Frenkie de Jong a lot too, but it looks as though he'll be staying at Barcelona. Manchester United need to be looking for a replacement that has good legs and the engine to run up and down the field. They also need to be very good with the ball too. Baleba can do that.