Liverpool thought he was their man. Manchester City had him on their list to fill Rodri's gap in Pep Guardiola's midfield. Real Madrid, European champion, also sniffed out the situation.
So don't get your hopes up: Arsenal winning in the race to sign Martín Zubimendi, Real Sociedad's European Championship-winning midfielder, is an almighty coup.
Zubimendi is a down-to-earth character born and raised in the same region as Mikel Arteta, a true son of San Sebastian who gave up on his decision to join Liverpool this summer mainly due to his reluctance to leave the place he calls home. .
Premier League officials believed they had Zubimendi's word and sources in Spain at the time said that the player even spoke to Arne Slot. But the Spanish club went on the charm offensive and convinced him to stay.
Mail Sport revealed at the time that coach Imanol Alguacil and outgoing sporting director Roberto Olabe prepared a presentation on the pros and cons of moving abroad, striking a chord with him about why life is better in San Sebastian.
Zubimendi, a keen mountaineer, was shown photographs of Mount Urgell, one of several walking peaks in the area, and told that nowhere in England will the local pintxos or varieties of tapas he enjoys be replicated in the country. Basque.
Martín Zubimendi to join Arsenal in the summer from Real Sociedad in £51m deal
It represents a big blow for Mikel Arteta, who hails from the same region of the Basque Country.
The Eurocup-winning star was the target of Manchester City and Liverpool
He was also said to have feared being stung by an interview he gave after starring in the Euro Cup final for victor Spain, where he spoke about how much he loved his life at La Real.
But when it became clear that a move to Liverpool was not going to happen, the door was never fully closed on him leaving the club – it was left ajar and postponed. By then, the Reds had moved on and Slot realized he had his perfect No. 6 from the start in Ryan Gravenberch, who has improved ten-fold this season.
All of this illustrates how difficult it was to tempt 25-year-old Zubimendi away from his boyhood club. Credit therefore must go to Arsenal and interim sporting director Jason Ayto. Arteta, a fellow San Sebastian son, no doubt also played a pivotal role.
Given the U-turn in the summer on a deal to join Liverpool, Arsenal fans may not really celebrate this signing until he is pictured holding the red shirt aloft alongside Arteta. It is understood that he 'isolated' himself when making the decision at the time, not leaving the house or using his phone so he could concentrate on himself.
“They were awkward moments for me because, as usual, people talk a lot,” he recalled earlier this season.
“But, anyway, you think carefully about the pros and cons and you come to the conclusion that, well, for me the best thing was to stay at Real.”
Is he what Arsenal need now? No. In fact, the last thing Gunners fans are asking for is another intricate, professional ball-passer in the middle, even though this could change if Jorginho and Thomas Partey were to leave the club.
But signing Zubimendi doesn't mean the number 9 won't join as well; in fact, it indicates his intention to progress, which could tempt a striker to follow him to north London. He also significantly improves a weakened midfield department.
Manchester City had the Spanish star on its long list of possible replacements for Rodri
Arne Slot and Liverpool seemed on the verge of bringing the midfielder to Merseyside
However, the Dutchman later realized that he had his perfect number 6 right under his nose: Ryan Gravenberch.
Sociedad's coach, Imanol Alguacil, temporarily convinced Zubimendi to stay by tugging at his heart
Zubimendi is not perfect and will not solve all of the Gunners' problems overnight. He wasn't ready to start the Euro final, although he replaced an injured Rodri at half-time and put in a masterful performance as Spain defeated England, and even at 25 he has a ways to go to be a world champion.
Speaking of Rodri, in Spain they see Zubimendi as the next prince in their long list of excellent midfielders.
Guardiola, Sergio Busquets, Rodri and now Zubimendi. He is also from the same region as the great conductor Xabi Alonso and has been described by one media outlet as the 'Gen Z Busquets'.
He is firm in the tackle, peerless in possession and can play all over midfield, although staying deep like a metronome, not unlike Arteta at the end of his career, is his best role.
And what will please Arsenal, who love set pieces: their only goal this season came after a corner kick.