Why £700m Dispute Looms Over Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi Deal Amid 'Mistreated' Claims

Arsenal are looking to begin November in a rich vein of form after a perfect October with plenty of business going on behind the scenes at the Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners had a five-star October, winning all six games throughout the month without conceding a single goal as they established their dominance.

Mikel Arteta's side will look to continue their perfect run of form with a trip to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. Their momentum was boosted by a 2-0 victory over Brighton, which saw them breeze through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. 

However, they were dealt a tough draw with Crystal Palace in the next round, and fixture congestion has already caused friction, though Arteta insists the tie should not be moved.

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While Arteta focuses on maintaining on-pitch harmony, a bitter off-field row has erupted concerning one of his key summer signings, Martin Zubimendi. The midfielder, who joined from Real Sociedad, is at the heart of a legal dispute between his former club and his youth team, Antiguoko.

The dispute centres on an unpaid fee, with Antiguoko claiming they are owed £ 870,000 as part of the deal that brought the Spaniard to north London. Roberto Montiel, the technical director of Antiguoko, has slammed Real Sociedad, accusing them of breaking an agreement and fostering a toxic relationship.

"Currently, the relationship with Real Sociedad is very bad on their part," Montiel stated.

"We had an agreement with Real Sociedad until 2020. Since then, we have an agreement with Athletic Bilbao. When Zubi signed for Real Sociedad, it was agreed that, in the event of a transfer, we would receive 5 per cent up to one million euros in return. With this behaviour, we decided not to renew the agreement with them because we felt mistreated by them.”

Montiel continued his frustrated outburst, claiming Real Sociedad is actively working against the smaller club's interests and using regional regulations to their advantage.

"They are obsessed with crushing us at all levels. They want us to be more and more inferior. The Provincial Council of Guipúzcoa has put in place a law that is subject to Real Sociedad of ‘territoriality’."

The row has now escalated to legal action, as Antiguoko fights for funds they deem essential for their own survival and development.

"Real Sociedad collected the transfer fee from the sale of Martín Zubimendi from Arsenal and has not paid us the five per cent that corresponds to us according to the agreement," Montiel added. 

"Real Sociedad has not said anything, and we have made the request in court. And we will have an administrative dispute to reach an agreement. They will maintain their position of not paying us. That money is very important to us because we invest it in our academy."

As the club deals with the fallout from that major transfer, experts are already debating the future path of Arsenal's next potential superstar, 15-year-old Max Dowman. The teenager has impressed since his debut and made history by starting against Brighton.

However, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards insists that Dowman's unique profile means a future loan move is a necessity for his development. 

"He’s special, isn’t he? He’s special," Richards said on The Rest is Football.

"I think the difference that I see with him is that normally, you get thrown in at 15-16 because you are physically developed. And he’s not, he’s technically developed, which would say that he’s going to be something special."

Richards argued that sporadic minutes will not be enough as Dowman ages, and he will need to find regular game time elsewhere.

 "He’s just got a window from 16 to 18 to keep developing at the same rate... Maybe he needs to go out on loan. I know that’s maybe too early, I don’t think he can go out on loan yet at 15. He’s not going to get the game time."

Co-host Gary Lineker agreed, noting the significant roadblock Dowman faces in his primary position. 

"But he plays in a position that Saka plays, so he’s not," Lineker added.

"He can play No.10 and he can play the other side... He’s not going to play ahead of Saka. But to keep developing, he needs to play. That would be my only worry."