MIDFIELD OF DREAMS

Arteta lands £60m

- by JOHN CROSS

MARTIN ZUBIMENDI has been part of Mikel Arteta's midfield masterplan for more than a year.

And now, finally, Arsenal boss Arteta has got the missing piece of the jigsaw with the £60m arrival of one of Europe's top midfielders.

Arteta actually wanted to buy Zubimendi and Mikel Merino last summer, but Real Sociedad did not want to sell both of their star playmakers in the same transfer window.

Merino, 29, arrived in a £32m deal, but the Gunners used that as an opportunity to sew the seeds for the Zubimendi deal and were prepared to be patient.

But the Spanish ace has always been a 'home bird', reluctant to leave his home in San Sebastian.

Liverpool thought they had a deal with Zubimendi last summer.

But he did not want to move and it was Arteta's persistence which has been key to the deal.