Mikel Merino’s arrival at Arsenal certainly took a long time, so it was fitting that his debut did too.
The Spanish international was desperately unfortunate to suffer a freak shoulder injury in his first training session after signing from Real Sociedad. The lengthy time out has left plenty of question marks hanging over the 28-year-old – namely, where he will fit in to the Arsenal midfield. Mikel Arteta has given us a bit of a clue.
“First, he is going to bring an unbelievable football brain,” the Arsenal boss said when asked what his namesake would offer the side. “He is so intelligent, the way he decides, he occupies spaces, he makes decisions and it is very rare to see that. He is a really talented player in every phase – defending and attacking.
