William Saliba makes extraordinary claim in message to Arsenal player following Premier League win over Leicester City

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Arsenal produced a performance of grit and determination to eventually overcome Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Joe Cole compared Ethan Nwaneri to Lionel Messi after the young winger dazzled in an otherwise lacklustre Arsenal performance.

Arsenal fans want Mikel Merino to play centre forward after the Spaniard came off the bench to bag a brace and rescue Mikel Arteta’s side in pursuit of the Premier League title.

Arteta was full of praise for Merino after the game and the midfielders’s team mates have also shown their appreciation for a stunning cameo that has well and truly kept the Gunners in the title hunt.

READ MORE: Three Winners and two losers from Arsenal’s clash with Leicester City

William Saliba calls Mikel Merino the ‘best striker in the world’

William Saliba has taken to social media to heap praise on team mate Merino following Arsenal’s crucial victory over Leicester City.

Having come on midway through the second half in an unfamiliar position, Saliba has hailed Merino as ‘the best striker in the world’ after two fine finishes earned the Gunners three points.

Merino could now provide Arteta a genuine option in the number nine role after Raheem Sterling looked well of the pace with a poor performance in the Arsenal player ratings.

If the Spaniard can produce more moments of magic like in the Leicester game, he may well cement his place in the forward line with the absence of Kai Havertz.

Merino ‘surprised’ at being given chance in striker role for Arsenal

Speaking to TNT Sports post-match coverage of Leicester City v Arsenal, Merino revealed he was ‘surprised’ at being thrusted into the game at centre forward.

Merino stated: “He told me I was going to come in as a striker, I was told this morning and we were talking about it with the assistants and honestly it was a surprise because this is the first time in my career that I’ve played in that position.”

Merino scored his third and fourth goal of the season with two composed finishes – one with his head from Nwaneri’s cross and a cool volley from Leandro Trossard’s cross.

With a week before the Gunners next match at home to West Ham, Merino has now certainly given his manager something to think about ahead of the next team selection.