As of writing this article, the Gunners are reported to be in advance stages of signing Spain international Mikel Merino, with Edu also reported to be in Spain finalizing the transfer it is therefore only a matter of time before we welcome him to North London. Having helped his country to a Euros win this summer. We would be hoping he can replicate some of those moments in an Arsenal shirt this campaign. Given how close the transfer is reported to be, here are the pros and cons of signing the Pamplona native.
Pros
1. Duel winning machine: It’s no secret that Arteta loves a player who wins duels and Merino is a perfect example of that sort of player, he’s as combative as they come. This perfectly reflected in the stats too, having 7.29 ball recoveries per 90 (94th percentile) also winning 5.99 aerials per 90 as well (99th percentile). If we were to get him in then we’ll have an even good mixture of the nitty gritty and flamboyance in our midfield.
2. Ball retention and counter pressing: all elite teams love to have the ball back as soon as they lose it, whether in their own Defensive third or further up. This is exactly where Merino thrives, in the attacking third in particular. Last season he had on average 0.6 tackles in the attacking third per 90 (99th percentile). This not only helps with ball retention, it also leads to more goal scoring opportunities when winning the ball in the opponents third.
Other pros are his late runs in box, set piece threat and foul winning ability.
Cons
1. Age: Arsenal have held an interest for this player for a while now but didn’t complete the transfer sooner given doubts about his age. Having just turned 28 back in June he can be considered to be still in his prime, however given that we mostly sign players much younger with the hopes of long term sustainability and resale value then his age might actually be a stumbling block.
2. Progressive carries: progressive carries are just one of the key traits a modern day midfielder should have, his possession stats in general leaves you expecting more with ball carrying particularly giving me second thoughts about this transfer. He ranked low in progressive carries (0.93 per 90), which has him in the 32nd percentile among midfielders last season), total carrying distance and carries into the final third.
However looking at it with perspective, you could say that Sociedad’s playing style and Manager’s instructions might have played a part in this but till we get to see him up close in an Arsenal shirt, who knows.
The other con to this transfer are his passing stats.
Given his impressive Defensive numbers, might he actually be played as our deepest lying midfielder ?
KENNETH BENJAMIN.
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