Álex Baena has spoken openly about Martín Zubimendi, with the Atlético Madrid and Spain midfielder saying he would welcome the Arsenal man to La Liga and describing him as the “second-best defensive midfielder in the world.”

Zubimendi arrived at Arsenal to help cover the exits of Jorginho and Thomas Partey, and his first months suggested the move could shape the club’s midfield for years to come. Midway through the 2025 summer window, he was already being viewed as one of the standout signings of the market, with Arteta regularly praising his influence.

That admiration was underlined after Zubimendi scored the first brace of his senior career in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in September 2025. On that occasion, Arteta said: “Martín is bringing such a presence, composure and understanding of the game that makes the team flow and play better.”

Yet his standing has not remained the same. While he still finished the campaign with 57 appearances in all competitions as Arsenal won the league title, his influence faded towards the end of the season. That pattern has continued into the current campaign, where he has become more peripheral under Arteta.

The speculation has been fuelled by reports in Spain that Atlético could be interested in a winter move, while The Standard has reported that Arsenal are not actively seeking to sell him but could be open to the right offer.

Baena’s comments came after a difficult spell for Atlético, who lost back-to-back home games to Bayern Munich and Barcelona before the international break and dropped to third in La Liga. With Koke’s future also a consideration, midfield depth remains a question for the club.

Zubimendi made Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup squad but only played seven minutes, and at Arsenal he has since slipped further down the pecking order after the summer arrival of Bruno Guimarães. He has made just three Premier League starts and has been limited to 100 Premier League minutes across seven appearances.

Noni Madueke’s latest Arsenal outing offered a familiar reminder of what has made him such a striking presence this season: persistence, self-belief and an ability to keep forcing the issue even when the margins are tight.

“Being a footballer is not all highs,” Madueke once reflected. “In fact, it’s 50% lows.”

That outlook felt apt as he dealt with another setback from England manager Thomas Tuchel, who left him out of the squad for a second camp in a row. Yet the winger did not drift. Instead, he kept searching for space, repeatedly attacking Hull and refusing to ease off even when the contest threatened to settle into frustration.

His reward arrived after 72 minutes. Madueke found a small opening, let fly and forced Konstantinos Tzolakis into a save that dropped kindly for Martin Ødegaard to score the only goal of the game. Even before that decisive moment, Madueke had already shown the determination that has defined his recent rise, and he later passed up two more chances to add to the lead.

The wider context gives his contribution extra weight. Before the September international break, Madueke had played just 42 combined minutes in the Premier League and Champions League this season, despite being fit for every match. Mikel Arteta was blunt about his early level of influence, saying, “I haven’t liked too much what he was doing, and it was impacting the game”

After being left out by Tuchel, Madueke took a personal trainer on a warm weather break to refine his game. Arteta later said, “That’s Noni and that’s his mindset,” and then described him as “the best player” in training at London Colney. “He gave me no option not to select him.”

His recent run has also owed something to events around him, with chances opening up on both wings. But the way Madueke takes those moments matters just as much. He lives by what he calls a “healthy delusion”, and as he explained: “When that delusion comes in,” he once explained, “I feel like that’s when you can really reach new heights. You need it as a football player. You need it.”

That same belief, along with his “extreme faith in your ability,” carried him through the backlash around his arrival from Chelsea in the summer of 2025. Saul Isaksson-Hurst summed him up simply: “Noni is a mentality monster. He is so driven, sometimes you have to tell him to calm down. He is very aware, very astute.”

Arsenal stayed at the top of the Premier League after edging Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

For much of the afternoon, the home side found Hull difficult to break down. The breakthrough eventually came in the 72nd minute, when Noni Madueke’s effort was pushed into the path of Martin Ødegaard, and the captain reacted first to finish and settle the contest.

The result extended Arsenal’s best-ever start to a Premier League season. They now have 27 points from their first 10 matches, with nine wins and only one defeat.

It was not a fluent performance, but it was the kind that matters in a title race. Hull made the game uncomfortable, Arsenal were not at their sharpest, yet they still found a way to take all three points. That is often the difference between champions and the sides chasing them.

Ødegaard was the decisive figure. More commonly praised for his passing and creativity, he showed a different side here, finishing like a striker rather than a playmaker. Kai Havertz and substitute Viktor Gyökeres had struggled to provide that edge earlier in the match, which made the captain’s intervention all the more important.

There was also a reminder of Ødegaard’s wider value to the side. He has at times been judged on goals and assists, but this was a timely example of him taking responsibility when Arsenal needed someone to do so.

In the end, the numbers and the scoreline told the same story. Arsenal were not at their best, but they remained in control of the summit and continued to defend their crown with another narrow win.