Arsenal are poised to announce the signing of Mikel Merino in the coming days after weeks of speculation.
Mikel Arteta is close to landing his top target of the summer, with everything coming together in the Gunners’ pursuit of the midfielder.
Real Sociedad’s president was spotted in London at the start of the week and the deal has gathered speed since, with Arteta playing a crucial role in completing Merino’s transfer.
Now that the North Londoners have cruised through the unknown phase of the rumours, fans have started to envision how the midfield will look with the 28-year-old included.
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The rare Premier League feat that Mikel Merino and former Arsenal ace Nicolas Pepe completed
Merino’s career has been placed under the microscope as his move to Arsenal edges closer, with one interesting statistic now re-emerging from 2019.
Five years ago, it was noted by Squawka that former Gunners winger Nicolas Pepe had broken a 50-game feat that was previously held by Merino.
In the 2019/20 Premier League season, Pepe impressed on his full debut against Liverpool, where he dribbled past Virgil van Dijk.
The Ivorian was the first player to get the better of the centre-back since none other than Merino, who cleared the Dutchman 50 games prior.
Fans stumbled across the impressive statistic, adding extra excitement to what Gooners can expect from the Euro 2024 winner.
Merino had a memorable time at Newcastle United
While it was unfamiliar for players to dribble past Van Dijk, it was not a rare sight for Newcastle United fans to see Merino glide through the midfield.
No Newcastle player who had secured more than 20 appearances in the 2017/18 campaign averaged more dribbles per game than the Arsenal target (1.6)as per WhoScored.
The Spaniard spent the 2017/18 season on loan with the Magpies, where at 21, he made quite the impression in the North East.
In an interview with Goal, Merino commented on a chant that Newcastle fans serenaded him with, which included the line ‘he’s better than Fabregas’.
Arsenal fans will hope that Newcastle’s assessment of their pending arrival rings true, with high hopes for the midfielder once he’s integrated into Arteta’s set-up.
It will be fascinating to see how the 28-year-old fares on his Premier League return, arriving at the Emirates as a more polished player than the youngster who charmed St James’ Park.
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