Arsenal’s latest signing already looking like a shrewd piece of business from his first interview.
Arsenal, as of yesterday, have finally confirmed the signing of Mikel Merino, after striking a deal above £30million with Real Sociedad a few weeks ago for the Pamplona native the deal has finally been announced by the club with the player putting pen to paper on a four year deal with an option of a one year extension.
A player we’ve registered an interest in even before the start of the Euros this summer, it’s finally good to see us get our man after taking into account different factors to bring him in. He’s already taken part in first team training with the squad with a potential debut at the weekend against Brighton on the cards. In his first interview for the club, I was in awe of how well he articulated himself regarding questions about his ambitions with the club and himself.
The thing that struck me most was the amount of times he emphasized how much of a team player he his and how he values working hard for the good of the collective, considering the amount of duels he won last season then I see the reason why. Also among this was his stated desire to grow, be the best and win things which is the path we’re currently on as a football club.
When also asked about his ambitions with the club he said. ‘I wouldn’t have moved to a club that’s not aligned with my desires’ pretty telling that we only sign player’s with the same mentality and ambition that we have while also keeping a high standard. With more than the player’s ability being considered when doing this sort of transfers it therefore shows that we did extensive research on the player’s attitude as well as ability on the field.
“I wouldn’t move to a club that are not aligned with my desires,” Merino said on Arsenal.com. “What I want is to grow, to win, to fulfil my dreams and I think this club has the same mentality. This is something I value a lot. I value a lot the work they put in every single day.
“I have spoken with Mikel [Arteta] and he’s told me the way they work, and I love that way of working as well. So I think it’s the perfect match, now it’s time to get to work, the part I love doing, and hopefully everything goes well.
“The thing that inspires me a lot is they keep doing it. They are keeping the hunger, they won’t give up and I want to come here and help them achieve their goals. Obviously they have an amazing team, an amazing squad, I can see they have amazing facilities, amazing staff around them. So I think it’s the best mix, and hopefully this year we can do big things together.”
This interview revealed more than the stats could ever do, and I definitely now see why we signed him despite concerns about his age. His elite mentality and work ethic are at the standards set by us and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will be a fantastic addition to the squad
KENNETH BENJAMIN.
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His duel stats and risky passes in tight spaces make him look very promising
It shows that he doesn’t like to hide in the field and often tries to be very creative
I hope he’ll play for a few minutes against Brighton and Spuds, because we’ll need duel-winning midfielders at the Etihad
absolutely
Excatly👌@ Gai, two duel winning midfielders in Rice and Merino with technical abilities can only make Arsenal a force in the midfield. They both bring physicality and are combertive. And then with Odegard creativity, Pathey and Jorginho on the bench. That’s a good depth.
Merino getting minutes aginst Brighton may come too soon Spuds is more realistic.
👍🏼
Romano just said Joan Garcia is coming after Ramsdale goes to Southampton
Unfortunately, Arsenal don’t seem to be interested in Tammy Abraham
Abraham looks like he’s off to AC Milan. I was hoping we would make a move for him.
There’s still enough time for Arsenal to hijack Abraham’s and Toney’s transfers though
We could have a problem if we have to rely on Havertz, Jesus and Trossard only for the CF position, since Jesus is so injury-prone, Havertz is the only towering CF at Arsenal and Trossard is inconsistent in that position
@Gai, Its not looking like Arsenal will sign any CF this season better not to raise any hope. Gone are days when Arsenal do last minute signings. It would be a big surprise to me because Arteta is very Choosy
only thing that concerns me is his pace. But his positioning intelligence can make up for that.
@GAI: Totally agree, we need to sign either Toney or Abraham, not only because Jesus is injury prone but also because we will need someone to rotate with Havertz in a very long and hard season.
Hes been more impressive than Zubimendi in my opinion.
Surely we’re after a forward with Nketiah leaving? Also rumour going on that we would let Nelson leave if an offer arrived.
We only have sick note Jesus as pure striker, and then Havertz..
As long as he walks the walk as well as he talks the talk, we have signed another excellent player – time will tell.
Was it a shrewd piece of business? As you say – time will tell.
Ken
He is bilingual so take your pick 🤣
So take your pick.
Seriously I think he could be a good addition to the squad and hopefully he can claim a starting place with us with his displays.
If to be successful this season then it’s going to be long sapping one and we will need our full squad to achieve our goals , which is winning the cups
Onwards and upwards
We all hope his transfer will be a “shrewd piece of business” (if not, then it’s £31m or so down the privy).
As others have said, I’d take rather the evidence of his playing skills for Arsenal, week in and out, over his media skills – impressive though they are.
Is it just me but the only problem I have is we don’t have a natural replacement for odeegard.
I’ve had that same concern for a long time now. I would love to know what MA’s plan is for when Martin isn’t available for whatever reason or simply has to have rest. I rate Nketiah but really don’t think he’s ready for such a task yet.
I meant Nwaneri not Nketiah.
Nwaneri is a good player with a very high potential. I think he will be slowly phased in by Arteta.
Daniel
We already have him. Look at jersey 17. Ethan took
**Ethan too
Manc inquired about him last season and was quoted at 60m So we might have got a good player at a reasonable price
Welcome to Arsenal, Merino and lets win a few things. That said, he is indeed a great signing and his winning mentality, technical skills coupled with his team efforts are all great traits to have for a team aiming to win the title. The introduction of Merino can allow Rice to play as no.6 with both Partey and Jorginho available to rotate. Merino can also give Odegaard some rest and rotation if and when required. Great signing.
Hope so. He had an annual mirabulas last season where everything went right for him but I fear he is a one season wonde, although let’s hope that can be two.. Clearly,I’m not as thrilled about Merino as some of you above. At Newcastle he didn’t exactly set the EPL on fire. Do any of you even remember him? I don’t. In the Spanish line up he is definitely not irreplaceable. They can probably find four or five other players who are similar and can provide unspectacular but steady support to their stand out players. Also I didn’t see Barcelona or the two big Madrid clubs in any rush to sign him. My one hope is that he can help us get the title this season. Beyond that I think he will fade quickly.
annual mirabulas…nice one!
talking of ‘annual mirabulas’, Gyrokeres anyone?
Merino somewhat lower risk (e.g. La Liga, Euro24 winner) and lower price tag