There’s a lot of talk about Mikel Arteta’s striker options at Arsenal right now, and Mikel Merino thinks the boss could have another contender for the position.
Amid calls for Viktor Gyokeres to be dropped by Arsenal, his competitor, Gabriel Jesus, stepped up and scored with his second touch against Aston Villa.
Things are heating up in the position, particularly as Kai Havertz returned to the matchday squad, giving Arteta additional options to lead the line.
While Jesus’ goal against Aston Villa spelt bad news for Gyokeres, in Merino’s eyes, it’s not just the Brazilian that the summer signing should be wary of.
Who was Arsenal’s Man of the Match against Aston Villa?
Mikel Merino says Martin Zubimendi could be a new striker option for Arsenal
Arsenal have an array of potent finishers, that much was clear against Villa.
It makes the recent underperformance in front of goal all the more confusing, particularly as the Gunners showed that they can bring the goals from all over the pitch.
After the win, Merino took to Instagram to celebrate Martin Zubimendi, whom he now thinks could be another striker option for Arteta.
“3 more points in our pocket! Amazing result. Let’s go! Do we have another striker?!” Merino captioned the post, tagging Zubimendi.
Gyokeres’ positioning, Odegaard’s pass, Zubimendi’s movement, what did you enjoy most about this goal?
Zubimendi’s goal was sensational, mostly thanks to Martin Odegaard’s brilliance in carving the chance out of nothing.
Of course, Merino was joking about his teammate’s future role in the squad, but as the 29-year-old knows more than most, stranger things have happened.
Zubimendi showed he can do it all against Aston Villa
Merino has been one of Arsenal’s best players in 2025, largely due to his position being altered back in March.
Though moving from central midfield to a striker worked for Merino, it won’t for Zubimendi, who is a dream for Arteta in the middle of the park.
Zubimendi was everywhere against Aston Villa, if he wasn’t a midfielder, what position would you like to see him in?
On X, one Arsenal fan reacted to Zubimendi’s goal by likening it to Cesc Fabregas’ style, emphasising the level that we are witnessing from the summer signing.
“I’m not comparing them as players at all, but Zubimendi’s goal that looked like Fabregas running through,” the supporter wrote.
Arsenal signed Zubimendi to bolster the number six role to support Declan Rice, and the £51m signing has done just that, and then some.
There’s no doubt that the Spaniard has been Arsenal’s best signing of 2025, as Arteta continues to relish acquiring Zubimendi’s signature.
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