The Gunners are finally getting their man.
Arsenal and Real Sociedad have reached an “agreement in principle” for the transfer of Mikel Merino to North London, per David Ornstein. The Gunners will pay €33.5m + €5m add-ons for the 28-year old midfielder, with new personal terms already in place. The Spaniard will sign a 4-year contract with Arsenal that contains a club option for a 5th season. As has been the case with pretty much all of the club’s transfer dealings, Mikel Arteta was reportedly a driving factor behind the move and in convincing the player to join the club.
Merino represents another attempt from Mikel Arteta to fill the Granit Xhaka-shaped hole on the left side of the Arsenal midfield. Kai Havertz started last season playing left #8 with some success, but the German seems to have found his best place leading the Arsenal line. Declan Rice has also been used in the role, but his final third play is not the most polished. The spot is still very much unclaimed and crying out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck. Should Merino become a regular, it allows Rice to play #6, a role to which he is better suited, and perhaps even more importantly, lessens the load and reliance on Thomas Partey.
A Natural Fit For The Left #8
The Spanish midfielder seems a natural fit for the left #8 at Arsenal with upside as a box-to-box type player. Merino is a duels monster and remarkably good in the air — it’s easy to see why Mikel Arteta wanted to sign him. His passing and ball progression numbers aren’t quite where you’d like them to be, but he showed himself a capable passer and ball-progressor in his career. Arsenal are betting that in a better side that sees more of the ball, Merino will return to the passing output he managed playing alongside Martin Ødegaard in the 2019-20 season. That year, Merino made 375 passes into the attacking third, most of any in La Liga.
A Floor-Raiser, Not a Home Run
Mikel Merino isn’t a sexy signing, although he did score a game-winning goal in the Euro Quarterfinals against Germany. He’s a floor-raiser. A player who should improve the club at a position of need and bring both consistency and depth to the roster. Merino should also help get the left side of the attack running smoother, which in turn should help Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian winger looks re-energized coming into this season after injuries, both his own and to those around him the formation, depressed his numbers last year. If Merino is able to be a steady, consistent presence on the left that gets Martinelli the ball in good positions, the dynamic winger should light up the scoreboard again.
The Impact of Merino
Another capable midfielder means fewer mandatory minutes for Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, and probably a couple other players, which should allow all of them to be more rested for the matches where the club needs their very best. Arsenal’s struggles in late December last season looked as much a product of fatigue as anything else. Merino helps avoid that. The new Champions League format adds two matches to the schedule. Somebody has to play those minutes. Adding Mikel Merino may make Mikel Arteta more comfortable “going for” a cup run. At the very least, it makes the rotated lineup that he deploys for the Carabao and FA Cup better.
Do you see where all this is heading? Not every signing has to be a home run swing like buying Declan Rice. The January signings of Jorginho and Leandro Trossard in recent seasons proves that. Both have been valuable players. For what it’s worth, I think that Merino will play a larger role for the club in terms of minutes than either of those two signings, but he’s a signing more in their mold than in Rice’s.
Tying the Room Together
As for impact, my hope is that Mikel Merino is the rug from The Big Lebowski — he’ll “really tie the room together.” You never really noticed Granit Xhaka’s contributions from match to match, but last season, you could definitely see that something was missing with him no longer at the club. Mikel Merino will hopefully bring some much-needed grease to the Arsenal left side.
