Why This Arsenal Star Was One of the Best Signings of Summer 2024 – Opinion | OneFootball

Arsenal Signing is ‘One of the Best’ of Summer 2024

Let’s not beat around the bush: it has been a disappointing season for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Whilst the Gunners managed to reach the doorstep of the UEFA Champions League Final, they failed to reach a single final and have wound up without a single major trophy for the fifth straight season. To add insult to injury, they’ve seen their archrivals Tottenham Hotspur put an end to their 17-year wait for silverware.

However, if there’s one player who has given Arsenal fas cause for celebration, it’s Mikel Merino.

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Merino’s Story

Born in Pamplona, Spain, Merino developed at Osasuna’s academy before making the move to Borussia Dortmund in 2016. He spent one season in the Bundesliga before playing at Newcastle for the 2017/18 campaign, until eventually returning to Spain in 2018 and making the move back to Basque Country. After joining Real Sociedad on a five-year deal for a reported €12 million, Merino emerged as an indispensable figure in La Real’s midfield and helped them win the 2020 Copa del Rey with a Man of the Match display vs. local rivals Athletic Club.

Merino continued his rapid rise in Anoeta, winning the most duels in Europe’s top five leagues (326) in the 2023/24 season and helping Spain win the 2024 UEFA European Championship. It’s why Arsenal decided to bring him to the club, tying him down to a four-year deal for a reported £31.6 million.

In his first training session, he fractured his shoulder in a collision with Gabriel Magalhães and was ruled out for several weeks. Merino would have to wait until October 1 to make his Arsenal debut, coming off the bench in a 2-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain. 26 days later, Merino scored his first league goal after heading home from a free kick in a 2-2 draw vs. Liverpool.

Tactical Flexibility

A box-to-box midfielder by trade, Merino was expected to challenge the likes of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey for a starting spot in midfield due to his brash, ball-winning style and robust physicality. But as time went by, it became more and more clear that he had another layer to his game – that of a goal-scorer.

Similarly to Yehor Tverdokhlib, Merino demonstrated the tactical awareness and poacher’s instinct to pop him at the edge of the box, buy himself an extra second, and test the goalkeeper from range. Having made just one goal contribution for Arsenal in 2024, Merino kicked off the new year by scoring in a come-from-behind 3-1 win at Brentford before assisting Ethan Nwaneri’s opener in a 1-1 draw at Brighton the following match.

By mid-February, when both of Arsenal’s center forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus had gone down with season-ending injuries, and when creative talisman Bukayo Saka was still recovering from a lengthy spell on the treatment table, Arteta needed something different in the final third. With the score level at the King Power Stadium, Arteta brought on Merino for Raheem Sterling in the 69th minute. It was a shot in the dark, but it worked to perfection, with Merino bagging a brace in a 2-0 win vs. Leicester City.

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Pretty soon, it became evident that Merino as a makeshift center forward was no longer an experiment, but the way forward. Over the following months,Merino chipped in with a goal and an assist at PSV Eindhoven, a goal vs. Chelsea, and a goal vs. Fulham. And when Arsenal faced off against reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, Merino scored in the first leg before grabbing two assists in the second leg, following that up with an assist at Ipswich Town and a goal vs. Liverpool.

He wasn’t able to lead Arsenal past a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side featuring the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, but he nevertheless proved that he is going to be an essential figure for Arsenal both in the short and long term. And it’s seemingly only a matter of time before he reunites with former Spain and Real Sociedad teammate Martin Zubimendi, with the Basque midfielder being linked with a move to the Emirates.

“I’ve always thought of Merino as more of a box-to-box player, but his technical skills have always come through,” stated ESPN commentator Derek Rae. “I’ve always liked him as a player…I remember watching him earlier in his career in LaLiga and Bundesliga, and I think he’s someone who can surprise you. In this case, by having the right coach and being at the right club, a player like that can prosper. He’s been terrific for Arsenal, and he’s been a very good player for Spain as well.”

As Arsenal turn the page on a promising but ultimately underwhelming season, it’s evident that a summer transfer overhaul awaits the Gunners. Kieran Tierney and Jorginho are set to depart on free transfers, Neto and Sterling will return to their parent clubs, whilst other players like Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard and Oleksandr Zinchenko could be on their way out as well.

It’s undeniable that Arsenal need to clear out their squad and prepare for potential blockbuster signings like Rodrygo and Viktor Gyokeres. In order to do so, they’ll need to have some difficult conversations and cut ties with various players who have given their all to the club. However, one thing’s for sure: Mikel Merino will not be part of those cuts.