Finding a Replacement for Martín Zubimendi

With Real Sociedad’s struggles to qualify for Europe this season and yet another defeat in the early stages of the Europa League, as well as a semifinal defeat in the Copa del Rey, it seems that Real Sociedad will have to do some reshuffling in the summer. With Martín Zubimendi still performing up to the standards for both club and country, his departure seems imminent — one year after rejecting interest from Liverpool, the Spaniard could be on his way out.

In this article, we will be looking at potential replacements for Martín Zubimendi at Real Sociedad. With the use of Scouting Stats AI and the McLachApp, both websites formed by football data enthusiasts on Twitter by the names of @ChicagoDmitry and @DEvansData on X, I have been able to find three potential replacements for Martín Zubimendi at Real Sociedad.

Real Sociedad will probably earn in excess of €50 million for Zubimendi, of which I assume an amount will be destined for a suitable replacement for the Spaniard. Because of that, we will be looking at players who would cost a maximum of €30 million to replace Zubimendi.

Name: Shea Charles

Position: Defensive Midfielder/Center Back/Right Back

Country: Northern Ireland

Age: 21

Height: 189cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Current Club: Sheffield Wednesday

Context: Shea Charles began in Manchester City’s youth team and was signed by Southampton for more than €12 million in the summer of 2023. He spent last season at the club and with Southampton getting promoted, he was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday this campaign.

Comparison of stats between Shea Charles and Martín Zubimendi. (Mclachapp, 2025).

In this chart, we can see that both players are quite similar when it comes to their defensive attributes as well as their progressive passing. In addition, when it comes to carrying the ball they both share similar values; nonetheless, when it comes to key passes and through balls, Shea Charles comes on top, which means that he likes to get closer to the opposition box than Zubimendi.

Overall, they are very similar players and share most of the same characteristics, both offensively and defensively, which shows Charles’s ability to recover and play the ball.

Here we can see the heatmaps of each player, and the first thing that we can observe is that both players like to come to the right side of the field rather than the left. Another important observation is that Charles has spent little time in the middle of the field, whereas most of Zubimendi’s time on the pitch is in the middle, which is logical as he is a single pivot. 

This may mean that Charles has not been playing very often as a defensive midfielder but rather on the right side of a double pivot. It would also explain why he has more offensive contributions, as he has more freedom to roam up the field. 

Overall, both players have similar characteristics, and the only thing holding Charles back is his positioning, but as mentioned earlier, this may be due to the tactical display of the manager. Either way, he would have to get accustomed to playing in the middle as a single pivot, but seeing he is still young, he can still develop into that position. Nonetheless, we would have to see him play in a more technical league like La Liga, where he would perhaps face some difficulties adapting.

Name: Anton Stach

Position: Defensive Midfielder/Center Midfielder/Center Back

Country: Germany

Age: 26

Height: 194cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Current Club: Hoffenheim

Context: Stach began in Werder Bremen’s youth team before moving through several other youth systems such as Nordwest, Osnabrück, SSV Jeddeloh, and Wolfsburg until he arrived at Greuther Fürth. There, he spent just one season before moving to Mainz for €4.5 million, where he played for two years, and then Hoffenheim decided to pay €11 million for his services, where he has played for the past two years.

Comparison of stats between Anton Stach and Martín Zubimendi. (Mclachapp, 2025).

Here, we can see that both Zubimendi and Stach have very similar numbers when it comes to defending as well as progressive passes. However, Zubimendi is more capable of carrying the ball into advanced areas of the pitch, whereas Stach has more presence in the final third with more scoring contributions, through balls, and key passes per 90. 

Heatmaps of Anton Stach and Martín Zubimendi. (Sofascore, 2025).

These images show each player’s heatmaps this season. The first observation we can make is that both players are more comfortable on the right side rather than on the left. Also, despite Stach’s increased number of key passes and scoring contributions, he is more absent in the final third than Zubimendi. 

Overall, Anton Stach could prove to be a suitable replacement for Zubimendi as both players play in a similar role and display similar characteristics. Anton Stach has been fundamental for Hoffenheim’s qualification to the Europa League this year and with experience in this competition, it shows that he has the necessary requirements to fit in Real Sociedad.

Name: Rocco Reitz

Position: Defensive Midfielder/Center Midfielder

Country: Germany

Age: 22

Height: 176cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Current Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach

Context: Reitz was brought up through the ranks of Borussia Mönchengladbach and spent just one season in the first team before going on consecutive loan spells to Sint-Truiden. Nonetheless, he has been playing at Borussia Mönchengladbach for the past two seasons.

Comparison of stats between Rocco Reitz and Martín Zubimendi. (Mclachapp, 2025).

This chart shows us that both players show similar attributes defensively though Zubimendi is the more effective header of the ball. Furthermore, both players like to dribble and carry the ball, though Reitz is the one with more key passes per 90 as well as through balls, which indicates a more offensive approach.

Heatmaps of Rocco Reitz and Martín Zubimendi. (Sofascore, 2025).

These heatmaps resemble each player’s positioning on the pitch, and as we can see, Reitz has a more tilted playing style, moving to the right side more often than to the left. This may be because he is played on the right side of a midfield 3 or a double pivot, the most probable reason. 

Overall, despite Reitz’s positioning, which is more due to the manager than to his preference, he does share similar characteristics to those of Zubimendi, both defensively and offensively, and could prove to be an option for that position. Nonetheless, there are doubts about whether he could play as a single pivot rather than accompanied by a teammate.

Conclusion

In conclusion, of all the three options, I believe Anton Stach would be the best option, mainly due to his experience and his position on the pitch as playing as a single pivot is no easy task, and there are doubts as to whether the other two younger players could play there. Nonetheless, all the players boast similar attributes and, if placed correctly, could all be an asset to Real Sociedad.

By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images