After a baseless rumour suggesting that Martin Zubimendi regretted turning down a summer move to Liverpool circulated in England and Spain, it has been dismissed as “nonsense.”
The Real Sociedad midfielder chose to remain with his boyhood club during the transfer window, rejecting the chance to join Liverpool. However, with Sociedad enduring a difficult start to the season—earning just four points from their first six La Liga games, leaving them 16th on the table—speculation arose that Zubimendi might be regretting his decision.
This claim originated from a tweet by the parody account @indykaila, which was later picked up by Spanish publication Estadio Deportivo. The outlet cited “English media” as the source, which in reality referred to the unverified tweet. Soon, the rumor was further spread by outlets like the Liverpool Echo, the Mail, the Mirror, and talkSPORT.
However, San Sebastian journalist Recalde, writing for Noticias de Gipuzkoa, quickly debunked the reports, calling them “nonsense and invention.” In an interview with DaveOCKOP, Recalde clarified that Zubimendi is fully committed to Sociedad for the season.
“It’s September. Martin Zubimendi decided to stay at Real Sociedad, and he’s going to play the whole season here,” Recalde explained. “Just because the team has had a rough start doesn’t mean his feelings or commitment have changed. This is the club of his life, and he isn’t going to regret staying. It’s just made-up nonsense.”
Additionally, rumors that Sociedad had gone back on their promise to offer Zubimendi a new contract as a reward for his loyalty were also dismissed. These claims suggested the club was meant to remove his £51 million release clause, but no such agreement exists.
Speaking to Noticias de Gipuzkoa last week, Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay denied any talks over a contract extension. “There has been no conversation with Zubimendi about renewing his contract,” Aperribay said. “There hasn’t been now, and there wasn’t before. He didn’t make any demands. He understood that some players were leaving, and it was important for him to stay.”
Aperribay emphasized that Zubimendi’s decision to remain at Sociedad was straightforward, with no conditions tied to his stay. “The conversation with Martin was short and quick,” he added.
Since Zubimendi’s decision to stay, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has turned to Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as his primary choice for the No. 6 role. Gravenberch has impressed early in the season, leading to questions over whether Liverpool even needed Zubimendi and if they still consider the position a priority for future transfers.
In any case, Zubimendi’s commitment to Real Sociedad remains unchanged, despite unfounded claims that suggest otherwise.
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