Mikel Merino: A sensible signing in a key position

There’s only one place to start this morning and that’s the official arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.

It’s not exactly a bolt from the blue, but certainly a welcome addition to a squad that needs it after the departures of Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira from midfield. He’s 28 years of age, with plenty of experience having played in Spain, England and Germany, and I think that aspect is a key reason why we’ve brought him in.

Typically, Arsenal have recruited younger in recent years, with the odd exception like Leandro Trossard and Jorginho, but when you think about how to augment a squad that came so close to winning the title last season, a player of Merino’s profile makes a lot of sense. He won’t need months to get up to speed and to come to terms with that Mikel Arteta will ask of him. He is basically ready to go, and I think there’s (mostly) genuine clarity as to his role in this team.

As a ball-winning, duel-monstering 8, he’ll slot into the midfield in the space that Granit Xhaka left when he departed. Declan Rice has played there a lot of late, but I suspect that as the season goes on (and form and fitness allows/dictates), he’ll shift back a bit and that trio of Merino, Rice and Martin Odegaard will be the de facto first choice. Of course things can happen that we don’t expect – see one K.Havertz for evidence of that – but that’s where I think we’ll see him.

I watched his video on the official site, and aside from his impeccable English, you can see there’s a seriousness about him and what he wants from this move at a relatively late stage in his career. He says:

“I wouldn’t move to a club that are not aligned with my desires. 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.”

Is the price a little steep? Probably, but then if he comes in and plays well, I don’t think…

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Author : arseblog

Publish date : 2024-08-28 07:12:18

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