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August 27, 2024
Mikel Merino, a 28-year-old who joined Real Sociedad from Newcastle in 2018, has signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, with an additional one-year option. The deal is valued at £31.6 million, including performance-related add-ons.
A Spanish international, Mikel Merino, has officially joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad.
The midfield player has committed to a four-year contract at Emirates Stadium, with a one-year option. Arsenal will pay a £4.2 million add-on to the initial £27.4 million payment.
After David Raya’s permanent acquisition and the arrivals of Tommy Setford and Riccardo Calafiori, Merino becomes Arsenal’s fourth summer acquisition.
Merino played in all of Spain’s games as they won Euro 2024, including a game-winning goal against Germany in the quarterfinal that he scored in the 119th minute after coming on as a substitute.
Along with his winning mentality, Merino, 28, drew Mikel Arteta in with his combative style of play—the previous season, he won more duels than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Arteta said: “Mikel is a player who will bring us massive quality with his experience and versatility. He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now.”
“Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.”
“As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament.
“We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can’t wait to start working with him.”
After moving from Newcastle to Real Sociedad six years ago, Merino made 242 appearances for the team and contributed to their 2020 Copa del Rey victory.
Merino, who also competed for Spain’s U19 and U21 teams in the 2015 and 2019 European Championships, was only a player for one season at Newcastle under Rafael Benitez, making just 14 Premier League starts.
Before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2016, Merino rose at Osasuna and won the DFB-Pokal under Thomas Tuchel. He is expected to wear the No. 23 shirt in Saturday’s Premier League match between Arsenal and Brighton.
Edu, Arsenal’s sporting director, said: “We are so happy to have completed the transfer of Mikel Merino. This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer.”
“Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season.
“With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead.”
“When I lose a duel, I am upset,” shouted at his players after Nottingham Forest defeated them in the FA Cup in 2022, infuriated by Mikel Arteta. With Arsenal showing interest in Mikel Merino, the dressing-room scene from All or Nothing has been making the rounds once more.
Of course, Arteta has successfully elevated the side’s competitive standards in the intervening years. However, the attributes of combativeness, commitment, and focus highlighted during that furious reprimand at the City Ground continue to be his indisputable traits.
And Merino is a prime example of them.
The 28-year-old, who won the European Championship this summer with Spain, specializes in winning sparring matches. Nobody even came close to matching his 326 points with Real Sociedad in the previous season.
Merino is a technically sound player who, at 6 feet 2 inches, fits well on the left side of Arteta’s midfield. Continuing Arsenal’s trend of signing physically commanding players, Merino has formidable aerial strength and the ability to win duels.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and football sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Football News Today, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for football, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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