Mikel Arteta can finally complete two-year Arsenal transfer mission as huge exit 'confirmed'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could finally complete a transfer mission two years in the making. The Gunners have acquired some big names in recent trading periods with sporting director Edu playing a significant role in rebuilding the squad.

Going forward however, Arsenal will have to do without their former player in charge of operations after he decided to leave the club and become CEO of Evangelos Marinakis multi-club model. The search to replace him has already begun with Tomas Rosicky, Per Mertesacker and Tim Steidten just a few names believed to be in contention.

Edu is not the only club chief to have made a big decision on his future though, as Real Sociedad director of football Roberto Olabe is set to depart his role in at the end of the season, as per The Athletic. Over the last few years, Olabe worked closely with Arsenal over deals involving Mikel Merino, Kieran Tierney and Nacho Monreal.

The 57-year-old has particularly worked wonders when it came to selling players with Alexander Isak and Robin Le Normand among those leaving for significant funds. As such, he will certainly be in high-demand with it also noted his next role has not yet been agreed.

Arsenal will certainly be in the hat and it could in turn lead to Arteta finally completing a two-year transfer mission. This past summer, Martin Zubimendi opted to remain at Sociedad amid strong interest from Liverpool with Arne Slot's side becoming another club he has rejected.

Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal have all shown a keen interest but the Spain international has remained loyal, however that could change soon. This scenario actually playing out must be taken with a slight pinch of salt, but if Olabe is chosen as the permanent successor to Edu, negotiations may be back on for Zubimendi.

The 25-year-old will certainly be familiar with Olabe while the more than fair fee paid for Merino in August could certainly impact Sociedad's stance. A move to Arsenal would also see him link back up with Merino and Martin Odegaard, with the latter's loan spell in Spain coming just as he broke into the first-team.

It is by no means a guarantee, but Arsenal's chances of getting a deal for Zubimendi over the line will have certainly increased especially given the uncertainty at Real as they look for a new sporting director.

Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel

Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!

By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.

To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!

If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.