This summer transfer window could be seen as one of the biggest in Arsenal’s recent history. Mikel Arteta’s side have finished as runners-up to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for two consecutive seasons and need to get things right in the transfer market if the Premier League title is going to North London at the conclusion of the upcoming campaign. Defender Riccardo Calafiori has joined in a £42 million deal from Bologna, but it can’t be argued that the position that Arsenal need most is a central midfielder.
With Thomas Partey continuing to struggle with injures resulting in questions about the Ghanaian’s reliability, a new central midfielder is needed to complete Arsenal’s midfield alongside Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard, and it seems that Arteta is about to get his man with a deal seemingly on the verge of completion for Real Sociedad man Mikel Merino.
The Spaniard has been one of LaLiga’s most established midfielders over the last few seasons at the heart of Soiecedad’s midfield, and was part of Spain’s squad at EURO 2024 which went on to win the tournament in Germany. Since moving back to Spain after a spell in England with Newcastle in 2018, Merino has made over 200 appearences for the Basque club, and has gone from strength to strength in San Sebastian.
The 2023/24 season proved to arguably be the best yet for Merino. His eight goals in all competitions was the highest he managed in a season since his move from Newcastle, and the five assists meant Merino ended the campaign with his highest goal/assist tally of his career with fourteen. Also, Merino ended the season with the most duels out of any player in Europe’s top five leagues which will be music to the ears of Mikel Arteta.
Merino also showed himself to be a strong presence in the air and stands at 6″2, so will add more height to a team which is already one of Europe’s strongest on set pieces. What exactly Arteta plans to do with Rice will seemingly dictate where Merino’s main role will be in Arsenal’s midfield, as the Spaniard is capable of playing as both a holding midfielder and further forward at the left hand-side of the midfield, a position where question marks remain following Kai Havertz’s resurection as a centre-forward in Arsenal’s XI.
Whilst a deal isn’t quite done yet for Merino to arrive in North London, an agreement on personal terms is said to have already been reached and an agreement over the transfer fee with Real Sociedad seemingly not far away. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before a new Spanish midfielder named Mikel will be wearing the red and white.