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Arsenal fans are all making the same Mikel Merino claim after his Newcastle display – but it’s not positive
Arsenal faced Newcastle United in a pre-season clash, which left Gunners supporters all making the same point about Mikel Merino.
Mikel Arteta will be happy enough with how his side’s pre-season is going so far. After a victory for Arsenal against AC Milan, they obtained another win against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United side.
The Gunners went into the break two goals to the good, thanks to a Mikel Merino strike and an Alex Murphy own goal.
The goalscorer in Merino had fans in agreement while the game was on – and not for the right reasons.
Arsenal fans negatively react to Mikel Merino against Newcastle
After another goal for Arsenal, fans are grateful for Merino’s scoring ability but remain critical of his overall play.
‘Look at Merino, bro. I don’t care if he scores. He’s rubbish,’ one puts.
Another adds: ‘Merino is good for a goal, but his general overall play is underwhelming to say the least.’
‘I cannot believe we spent over £30m on Merino. He is not even worth £15m. We need to sell him immediately. Offers us absolutely nothing in midfield.
‘Doesn’t show for the ball, doesn’t look like he even wants the ball, and he does absolutely nothing with the ball when he gets it,’ another Arsenal fan furiously types.
‘Merino is rubbish, man. He can finish, but that’s it,’ says one more.
Finally, an individual adds: ‘Why is Merino even on the pitch? Doesn’t track back, always late, can’t pass, can’t control a ball.’
Should Merino be Arsenal’s third striker this season?
One undeniable thing is how good a finisher the Spaniard is. That was epitomised by how many times Arteta instilled trust in him last season to lead the line for the Gunners. And, he often delivered.
But with Viktor Gyokeres signing for Arsenal, and Kai Havertz looking sharp, opportunities up top may now be few and far between.
The consensus is that Arsenal fans would prefer him to be deployed there, however.