If there was one signing that many of us Arsenal fans believed would be an instant success at the Emirates Stadium this season, it was Mikel Merino. Arsenal’s left-hand side has struggled significantly since Granit Xhaka’s departure.
Declan Rice has done well there, but a game like the one against Villa exposed him. Immediately after his unveiling last Tuesday, some Gooners expressed their desire for Merino to start in the Brighton game this weekend. However, as confirmed on Friday, the Spaniard sustained an arm injury in training after colliding with Gabriel. There is conjecture that he will be out for at least the next six weeks, which should worry Arsenal fans about their midfield squad depth.
Last season, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe were the backup midfielders, but they left, and their replacement is now also injured. However, given the current state of the Arsenal squad, Ethan Nwaneri could potentially benefit greatly from the opportunity in Arsenal’s midfield.
The Hale End star impressed this summer, appearing for Arsenal’s senior team as an 8 or a 10. He looked unfazed when he played against Premier League opponents such as Manchester United and Bournemouth. The majority of Gooners who watched him play believed he was ready to break into Arteta’s team and play a significant role in the 2024-25 season.
Despite Mikel Merino’s unfortunate injury, it has presented an unexpected opportunity for Ethan Nwaneri to shine. Arteta and Edu did show they put a lot of trust in him by letting Vieira and Smith Rowe leave, and he proved in preseason that he is ready. As we await Mikel Merino’s debut, it’s time for Nwaneri to make his mark.
Sam P
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It wouldn’t shock me if Merino isn’t actually injured. Two week training with Arteta is far more beneficial than a few friendly international games for Merino
That would be a next level bluff.
While he did well in preseason, that is not a very sound basis for proving he is ready for the PL regular season at Arsenal standards. He may be close and I would have to defer to MA’s judgment if he starts but regardless imo having another overwhelmingly attacking player in place of Rice would not be the answer against Spuds. I expect Jorginho to start against Spuds.
I think it more likely that Ethan would be gently eased into service rather than ‘unleashed’, and not against Spurs for sure.
In my opinion, Xhaka’s position requires a duel-winning box-to-box midfielders with excellent positioning skills
It seems more suited to a highly-experienced left-footed DM like Xhaka, Zinchenko, Merino and Lewis-Skelly
It might be easier for Nwaneri to be Odegaard’s understudy first, because he’s an attacking midfielder
Lewis-Skelly “highly experienced”? Is he even a midfielder?
I need to remove Lewis-Skelly from that list because he’s got no experience yet
We could do with an edit facility for our comments
@Gai well said
Merino inury a very big blow considering the number of games Arsenal have. Their rigour in training needs to be managed well. That’s how Timber was affected start of the season. Our hope now is that Pathey shouldn’t be injured. Arteta better start trying White or Timber in the middle.
Comments seem to be randomly disappearing.
Now they’re back. Must’ve been my desktop😂
No, your right Jax – two of my posts were showing up, but when I looked to see if anyone had replied, I couldn’t find my post anywhere in the replies section.
😂
It’s still going on Ken. Some sort of bug or worse?
We have lost many midfielders this season. Many to mention. I don’t see the possibility, but left with me I would have gone for this guy ‘Adrien Rabiot’. He is a free agent. Go for him today and blend him from now till next two weeks. With him in our squad the midfield will look like our old days.
He will play against Bolton
Let’s see how he does in that one
Unleash is a big word, he should get minutes after City games, and can rest Ødegaard/Saka a bit. I am expecting him to get 500+ PL minutes with this thin squad, and many cup games
Good comments! Let’s focus on the tough fixture we have in one week’s time after the international break!