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The current Arsenal player who will benefit most from Mikel Merino’s transfer has been named
Mikel Merino has finally agreed a deal to sign for Arsenal, bringing an end to a saga that lasted nearly a month.
The Gunners are set to part with £31.8m to complete the signing, with Merino scheduled to have his Arsenal med🍬ical imminent🌃ly after agreeing terms on a four-year contract.
Mikel Arteta has finally got his man, as the Spaniar🎶d becomes his second signing of the summer after Riccardo Calafiori.
And Craig Burley believes Merino’s impending arrival will bring the best out of Declan Rice at Arsenal.
Craig Burley explains how Mikel Merino transfer will affect Declan Rice
Primarily a left-footed midfielder, Burley drew comparisons between Merino and Granit Xhaka, who left t🐟he club last summer to join Bayer Leverkusen.
“He does a bit of everything. He’🗹ll get forward, he can defend, he can tackle and he’s got a tidy left foot,” Burley said🥂 to ESPN UK.
“He’s not a direct replacement for Granit Xhaka but he’s goiℱng to play on that side of ෴the middle of the park. For that money, he’s a good addition to the team.”
Burley also believes Merino’s all-action ability will ease 🌌the burden on Rice in the centre ofꩵ the park.
He continued: “He gives Declan Rice anot🦩her person in the middle of thꦏe park. Not only will another player get into the box, but he’ll put his foot in as well.
“Thomas Partey had a lot of injuries and Jorginho is a bit 🍬limited in terms of getting around the f𝕴ield, so this is a good signing.”
What Merino would bring to Arsenal
Arsenal view Merino as an ‘opportunistic signing’ and believe they are getting him for a fee below his market value as h♋is contract with Real Sociedad runs out next summer.
His underlying numbers make him a perfect fit for෴ Arsen𒉰al’s midfield.
Since his Real Sociedad debut in 2018, no player in Europe’s top-five leཧagues has won more duels than Merino (1663), with the 28-year-o🤪ld also ranking eighth for possession won (1321) and 15th for tackles (415).
Merino would add another dimension ꦓto Arsenal’s midfield and his arrival could allow Arteta to rotate Martin Odegaard and Rice, who pretty much played every game last seas🃏on.
What next for Arsenal after signing Merino?
Arsenal want to sign Joan Garcia before the transfer deadline, but any deal for the Spanish goalkeeper is likely to depend on Aaron Ramsdale’s future.
The En🍬glishman struggled for game time last season and is reportedly open to a departure before the transfer deadline.
Wolves are interested in signing Ramsdale but want 🐷an initial loan deal, ෴with Arsenal unwilling to agree to that currently.
The Gunners will keep an eye on h🍌ow things pan out in the c𝔍oming days but are likely to dip into the market for reinforcements only if some of their existing options leave.