Mikel Arteta singles out one Arsenal player who is ‘growing’ and could be a big part of Premier League title push

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Arsenal may be unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, but with four draws in that run, the Gunners have left themselves six points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.

Mikel Arteta knows his side need to go on a run similar to the end of the last campaign, which saw Arsenal pick up 49 points in their final 18 games and run Manchester City all the way to the final day.

Attention for now turns to the EFL cup semi-final against Newcastle at the Emirates stadium and the Gunners will need to be wary of the in-form Magpies- Alexander Isak could break a scoring record if he notches in the first leg.

Ahead of that crucial first leg, Arteta has been speaking about the growing influence of one particular midfielder in his ranks and how he could play a big part in Arsenal’s quest for silverware this season.

Mikel Arteta praises ‘growing’ Mikel Merino

Speaking ahead of his side’s EFL cup clash with Newcastle, a trophy that Arsene Wenger was unable to lift, Gunners boss Arteta lavished praise on summer midfield recruit Mikel Merino.

During his pre-match press conference, Arteta stated: “I think in the last two weeks he’s made a big stride, obviously he’s had more minutes, physically he’s in a much better place.”

Arteta then went on to explain the effect of Merino’s early season injury. He stated, “He missed the whole preseason and then he missed a lot of weeks with an injury and you can tell that he’s growing.”

Merino has begun to find his feet in the Arsenal midfield and recently earned praise from Alan Shearer following Arsenal’s 1-0 over Ipswich during the festive period.

Merino can challenge Declan Rice for his midfield spot

When deployed this season, Merino has often featured in the left central midfield position- a role that is usually taken up by Declan Rice.

Merino has been called a ‘flop’ in the media however, there are signs that he is starting to show why Arteta splashed the cash on the Spaniard in the summer.

Whilst the influence of Rice on the team cannot be questioned, from the above metrics it is interesting to note that Merino has outperformed the England midfielder in a number of key attacking and defensive statistics.

With a significant gap to catch up on Liverpool in the Premier League and a big week in both domestic cups, Arteta will be hoping that Merino can continue his growing influence on this Arsenal side.