Mikel Merino and what he brings to Arsenal

Arsenal agreed a deal in excess of €35m to bring Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad after several weeks of negotiations.

It was a matter of when Merino would become an Arsenal player, the Spain midfielder had already made his decision. He only wanted a move to the Gunners although he had other options.

🔴⚪️🛫 Mikel Merino, on his way to London today as planned!

He’s travelling to England in order to complete his move to Arsenal, medical tests and contract signing booked.

Deal until June 2028 plus option until 2029. pic.twitter.com/A2tEvDWNEd

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 23, 2024

What does Merino bring to Arsenal?

The 28-year-old had under a year left on his contract at Real Sociedad similar to the Leandro Trossard move, Arteta opted to go for an experienced player at the peak of his career.

Merino was part of Spain’s Euro 2024 championship-winning team, his goal in the 119th minute earned Spain a victory over Germany in the quarter-finals.

He brings vast experience to a young Arsenal side, standing at 6’2 Merino is expected to fill the LCM role that Granit Xhaka was playing.

Merino has impressive technical abilities with his penetrative passes that are line-breaking or through balls. The Spaniard also has box-crashing abilities thanks to his physical presence, something that Arteta envisioned Havertz would perform in the LCM position.

326 – Mikel Merino won more duels (326) than any other player across the big five European leagues in 2023-24, while only Chris Ramos (174) won more aerials than Merino (168) in La Liga last term. Combative. pic.twitter.com/DfnM8lYkBg

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 22, 2024

Defensively Merino is described as a “duel monster” having topped the charts for duels won in Europe’s top 5 Leagues.

He fits the box-to-box midfielder profile Arteta needs for his set-up in the middle of the park alongside Declan Rice or even Thomas Partey.