When I look at their list of first-team midfielders, my feeling is that this move is exactly what they need:
Jorginho is 33 and can’t be very far away from ending his career at top level. Then you have Partey for the DM places, and that’s it. So, Zubi is clearly Jorginho’s long-term replacement.
As I said, an excellent move for them.
You can look it up, I said similar last summer too…
I am probably going to be wrong, but at least I’m consistent!
Lewis Skelly is a DM , Rice is a DM , Partey is a DM.
The way I see it , with their fullbacks inverting more often than not. They really don’t need more bodies in the midfield.
Between your opinion last summer, and Edwards’ and Hughes’, I know which one I chose. 
He’s sure to get a nice warm welcome at Anfield.
Not sure he’s relevant here…
But yeah I can’t remember who it was, perhaps @Limiescouse, who pointed out before that the other top clubs aren’t exactly breaking down the doors to sign him… Sure, that’s not a solid indicator, but surely it does make one wonder?
I think he’s a top midfielder. Just don’t see how he moves the needle substantially at Arsenal.
It’s just Arteta thinking , I need a Rodri , so let me get the closest guy possible considering Rodri isn’t available.
Jorginho is already confirmed as leaving so they have a gap to fill, but in all honesty a body was really all he was this season.
There is a version of Arsenal that has played well with Jorginho pulling the string behind Rice and this looks to be a commitment to solidifying that approach, but that is where a lot of the questions come from. Is Rice as essentially an 8 the best way forward for them.
There has been a lot of interest in him for years. But him continuing to stay at Sociedad was generally understood to be him keeping himself available for Barca who kept making promises to him but acknowledging they didn’t have the financial room to do it right now. The opening we sensed last summer was seemingly his first realization that waiting forever for Barca was wasting his career.
And where exactly was Arsenal’s defensive play lacking this season ?.
I seem to recollect that they were pretty solid this year in defense.
Possibly good that Cheaty didn’t buy him and they are still reliant on a (hopefully) brittle Rodri.
Good point. I was worried that they would try to get him this summer, as he’d have been a good reinforcement for them.
I wouldn’t necessarily be against a player like Zubimendi in the team.
But I would rather we train Bajcetic to be such a guy now. Considering that Grav has made his spot his own.
And one thing to note , requiring a pure #6 probably isn’t needed the way football is moving. Both Grav and Mac aren’t pure 6s. We won the league with 3 box to box midfielders essentially.
Booooo-bimendi? 
@PeachesEnRegalia . Your thoughts ?
They were and weren’t the amount of leads they gave up was concerning.
Not as much concerning as the lack of potency in attack once most teams found out their setpiece routine.
It was worse 3, 2 nil leads given up people blamed the attack but they concede goals at the least opportune moments.
I don’t recollect where arsenal did that.
2-0 perhaps.
But their main problem wasn’t in defense. Still isn’t.
They did give up some goals when they went attacking. But that was more to do with their attack being toothless.
And also being very shit at defending setpieces. But then again , it’s not a midfield issue.
He also isnt a defender so this line of argument is a bit confusing.
He is seemingly being brought in because he is much better than Party at using the ball and will supposedly help Arsenal be more penetrative in their passing in games where they have lots of possession. I get that Rice added goals to his game, but I think it’s a reasonable to ask whether their lack of penetration was at least in part caused by having him as an 8 in most of their games.
Did arsenal ever have a problem with moving the ball from the midfield to the attack regions ?
I seem to recollect their problem with that being the need to be happy on corners and setpieces.
Progressing the ball forward was never the issue with their existing midfield and wingbacks.