Arsenal’s new leader – Why Arteta and Edu signed Mikel Merino
So, after a pretty long wait, Arsenal have finally announced the arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.
The Spanish midfielder joins for an initial £27.4 million (with £4.2m potential add-ons) and has signed a four year contract, which contains an option for a further 12 months.
After such a long saga, it’s a bit of a relief for the club to finally get this one over the line and hopefully we will see him make his debut on Saturday, potentially from the bench if the game allows.
Mikel Arteta has been speaking about his fellow countryman and believes he will prove to be a fine addition to the squad.
“Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility,” Arteta said. “He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now.
“Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.
“As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament.”
Edu has also had his say, adding: “Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season.
“With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead.”
As Edu points out, Merino was a key target for Arsenal this summer.
The club’s interest in him pre-dates the Euros. It certainly wasn’t a deal that was done purely because of his performances for Spain in Germany.
In signing Merino, Arsenal believe they have signed a physically imposing midfielder who will add real leadership and quality to the squad.
While he can play in a deep midfield role, Arsenal see Merino as someone who is perfectly suited to the left eight position in the current system and believe that along with the capture of Riccardo Calafiori, they have now significantly strengthened the left side of the team.
Arteta knows him well and views him as a real winner. At 6ft 2in he will also add to what is already a very physically imposing Arsenal lineup.
It feels like a good move, even if at 28 Merino is a little bit older than the type of signing we have become accustomed to under Arteta and Edu.
But they have shown with Leandro Trossard and Jorginho that they are happy to bring in older players if they believe they can come in and make a big and immediate impression.
And they are confident that Merino will do just that thanks to his good technical ability, his tactical awareness and his professionalism.
Merino was also very, very keen on the move as far as I’m aware, which was a big tick for Arteta and Edu as they only want players who buy into the project in North London.
The big question is will there now be any other additions to add to the arrivals of Merino and Calafiori?
Eddie Nketiah is on his way to Crystal Palace for £30m providing there is no last minute hiccup and it really does feel like another attacking option is needed before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Arsenal are always ‘ready’ to do something if the opportunity arises according to Arteta. But the clock is ticking.