The attention regarding transfers had been solely on the forward line, but ahead of the North London Derby, it broke that a defensive midfield target for the summer instead looked much more likely. football.london understands that work is in place to help bring Real Sociedad Martin Zubimendi to the club in the summer after being initially reported by Sami Mokbel of the Mail.

There is a €60million (£51million) release clause in the Spain international’s contract that has existed for some time but even then, the likes of Liverpool have failed to entice the player away from the club he has developed and grown at in San Sebastian. With both Thomas Partey and Jorginho expected to move on in the summer, it was vital that the club sign another defensive midfielder and the bottom line is Zubimendi is arguably the best on the market.

Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester City have all been known to be big admirers of the 25-year-old. Despite this, there has been some discourse around the numbers.

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Zubimendi does not startle when it comes to seeing his profile and dataset. At least the numbers that you or I have easy access to and haven’t had to pay millions to a company to provide the things football clubs are secretly looking into.

Looking at his FBRef profile, it does not light up in dark green in the areas you would perhaps want it to. He is certainly not a player who will offer much to the forward line and ironically his only goal for Real Sociedad this season has come from a set piece – maybe it’s meant to be…

However, there are important contexts and comparisons which can be made to suggest that in fact, it is a better fit than is being made out. The Spaniard would effectively be replacing Partey in the number six role, so let’s start there.

It is firstly important to understand the context. Arsenal sit second in the Premier League and have been one of the most dominant in ball possession across Europe, the midfielders get the ball a lot and are able to influence play more than most teams.

Currently, La Real are underperforming expectations and sit seventh in La Liga, eight points behind fourth place and Basque rivals Athletic Club. They’re closer to thirteenth than third and for a side usually in Champions League qualification circles, have dropped off.

Losing Mikel Merino has certainly not helped, and they will therefore demand the buyout clause if not more (on more favourable terms) to see their latest talismanic figure leave. But now you better understand the bigger picture to his numbers.

When it comes to pass accuracy, there is not much between Partey (88%) and Zubimendi (85.6%) and Partey makes 5.8 progressive passes per 90 to Zubimendi’s 6.09. Neither have much say on creativity as Partey creates 1.83 shooting opportunities per match to Zubimendi’s 1.73 – you could argue the small gap between the pair favours the Spaniard with an expectation those figures would rise with a switch to a side like the Gunners.

Let’s look defensively now, Partey wins only in tackles per 90 with 2.42 over 2.17. But this is where his side ends and Zubimendi begins.

Interceptions per 90 (1.37 > 1.21), blocks per 90 (1.37 > 0.76), clearances per 90 (2.23 > 1.45), and aerial duels won per 90 (1.7 > 0.93) all in favour of Zubimendi. Yes, the numbers are not startling but when you make the comparison to who is on the way out, in a side far less dominant than the Gunners, it is encouraging data after all.