Mikel Merino explains why he chose Arsenal over Barcelona and other suitors

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·18 de noviembre de 2024

Mikel Merino explains why he chose Arsenal over Barcelona and other suitors

Other than Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were keen to recruit Mikel Merino in the summer. Real Sociedad also expressed a desire to retain him for the 2024-25 season, following his impressive performance last season and during the European Championship with Spain.

Merino struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League when he was with Newcastle, with suggestions he was homesick that 2017-18 season he was at St. James Park. Given that Merino had found his groove in La Liga with Real Sociedad and even attracted the interest of the league’s top teams, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, one might wonder why he would return to the Premier League.

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In the end, Merino was adamant about joining Arsenal; Barcelona’s pull couldn’t persuade him to join them, and Sociedad couldn’t convince him to stay. So what ultimately persuaded the Spaniard to switch to Arsenal?

In an interview with El País, the 28-year-old revealed how he was convinced Arsenal was the club for him. He claims that Mikel Arteta persuaded him to join a growing Arsenal project that was eager to win trophies. He couldn’t turn down that challenge, as he wanted to be a part of something like that.

He also admits that amid his imperfections, he was keen to make the Arsenal switch as he was promised a chance to grow, a chance to develop, and to take the next step in his career.

“I was seduced by the fact that it was a team in a process of growth, that they had not yet won, and they wanted to win,” Merino said. “Feeling a participant in building a winning culture, as happened to me at Real.

“And also, that they insisted that they could help me grow more.

“It will be a place where they will try to help you polish your defects and become that total player who can achieve more things on an individual level.”

Such claims only make you appreciate the levels Arsenal have and the influence and pull they now pose.

That said, Mikel Merino, expected to be the perfect Granit Xhaka heir at LCM, didn’t have the greatest starts to his time at the Emirates stadium. He picked up an injury in his first Arsenal training session.

Back on the pitch early October, he has been trying to find his groove; he hasn’t looked his sharpest, but his perfect cameo had many Gunners talking, especially after his excellent game for Spain this week.

If he can pick up from where he left off at Stamford Bridge when the league resumes this weekend, trust me, he is going to be the fuel that fires Arsenal to glory.

Sam P

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