Arsen Zakharyan

Key strength: Vision and passing

Creative playmaker

Arsen Zakharyan finds himself at a pivotal crossroads in the Basque Country. Real Sociedad's season is stalling—10th place in La Liga, just one win in their last five—and the Russian playmaker's own struggles mirror his club's stagnation. The €9 million-rated technician has managed just 721 minutes across 20 appearances this season, averaging a mere 36 minutes per outing as he's repeatedly relegated to substitute cameos and sporadic starts. His return of one goal and zero assists fails to capture the vision and creative intelligence that once marked him as one of Russia's most coveted prospects. At 23, wearing the #21 shirt, Zakharyan faces a familiar battle for the attacking midfield roles against established teammates like Jon Gorrotxategi. With Imanol Alguacil demanding immediate impact and Real Sociedad's European dreams slipping away, patience is wearing thin. The tools remain—his 58-rated passing, the technical quality, the footballing IQ—but in La Liga, potential expires fast. The next stretch of fixtures will determine whether Zakharyan seizes his moment or becomes another talented prospect who never quite cracked the code.