Other than Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were keen to recruit Mikel Merino in the summer. Real Sociedad also expressed a desire to retain him for the 2024-25 season, following his impressive performance last season and during the European Championship with Spain.
Merino struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League when he was with Newcastle, with suggestions he was homesick that 2017-18 season he was at St. James Park. Given that Merino had found his groove in La Liga with Real Sociedad and even attracted the interest of the league’s top teams, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, one might wonder why he would return to the Premier League.
In the end, Merino was adamant about joining Arsenal; Barcelona’s pull couldn’t persuade him to join them, and Sociedad couldn’t convince him to stay. So what ultimately persuaded the Spaniard to switch to Arsenal?
