Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Troy Deeney is ‘not sure’ if £31m star is even good enough for Arsenal despite performing against Brentford
Arsenal put an impressive account of themselves as they convincingly beat Brentford 3-1 on New Year’s Day.
Gabriel Jesus backed Arsenal’s title credentials in the aftermath of the contest as well.
Thomas Frank lauded Arsenal’s set-piece threat after the game as the Gunners’ form𓆉ula ﷽of controlling games and being clinical from such situations worked like a treat once again.
Whether Arsenal have enough in the tank to get over the line is🅺 the question.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 17 | 28 | 45 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 39 |
Key:
Position 1 – 4 : Champions LeaguePosition 5 : UEFA Europa League
Position 18 – 20 : Relegation
Having signed for Mikel Arteta’s side in the summer, Mikel Merino would be hoping to live up to his £31.6 million () fee a🍨nd help deliver the long-awaited league title to Arsenal.
However, Troy Deeney has question marks over the European Champ💫ionship winner already, who scored against Thomas Frank’s side.
Troy Deeney unsure if Mikel Merino is good enough for Arsenal after they beat Brentford
Despite naming Merino in his Premier League Team of the Week for while also praising his performance against Brentford, Deeney doubts whether he i💟s at the required level for a team of 💟Arsenal’s calibre.
“He was quality. I’m not sure if he’s going to be up to ﷽the level of🃏 Arsenal but I’m going to give him until next year with a pre-season.”
“He’s neat, tidy, very fluid in the way he plays. He can go as a six, he can go ꦚas an eight, he just keeps the ball ticking over really well. I bet as a team-mate he’s excellent to have in your team.”
Mikel Arteta explained Merino’s importance by claiming that he provides a sense of 💜s🙈tability to Arsenal’s left-hand side that they have lacked.
In October, Emmanuel Petit’s critique of Merino was sim🎉ply tꦏhat he had yet to adapt to English football.
Martin Odeegard’s Mikel Merino should excite Arsenal fans
It is key to remember that the Spaniard has only started 12 games in all competitions this season, with injuries stopping him in his tracks this campaig💮n.
Martin Odegaard was full of praise for Merino as a player and a character when he first signed for Arsenal, an assessment that the Eওmirates faithful will value the most as the pair played in tandem at Real Sociedad.
Odegaard said: “It’s great to welcome Mikel Merino to the club. I played with him for one season at Real Sociedad when I was on loan there. He’s a great player, a great person and I have no doubt he will be a really strong additionꦕ to the squad on and off the pitch.”
“The number of duels he wins is incredible and on top of that, he runs so much in every game. I had a grea꧂t connection with him in Spain and we played very well together, so I’m really looking forward to playing with him again.”
“I spoke to him a few times when his move here started to happen. I basically just said to him that I was there if he needed anything to settle into his new club, a𝔉nd how much I was looking forward to getting going again with him.”
Me🍨rino would be desperate to prove Odegaard right and Troy Deeney wrong, especially considering his previous stint at Newcastle United was rather forgettable.