Arsenal are reportedly finalising the details of the Mikel Merino transfer and it could be that the Gunners will even be able to register him in time to be able to play him against Brighton at the weekend.
Arsenal take on Brighton at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League’s early kick-off this Saturday, and Mikel Arteta’s side will be looking to build on their strong start of two wins from their first two games.
Having Merino involved would undoubtedly be useful to give Arsenal more options in midfield, and it seems the Spain international’s transfer could all be formally completed by then, even if there’s still not been an announcement at the time of writing.
See below for details from Sky Sports…
Arsenal are finalising the details of Mikel Merino's move from Real Sociedad ?
It is expected Merino will be registered by Friday's midday deadline in order to play against Brighton on Saturday ? pic.twitter.com/H8euMaNeoh
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 27, 2024
Merino shone for Real Sociedad last season and also looked impressive with the Spanish national team at Euro 2024 earlier this summer, so he should prove a fine signing for Arsenal.
Gunners fans will certainly be eager to see the 28-year-old in action as soon as possible, though it remains to be seen if Arteta will realistically view the player as being ready to get on the pitch as early as this weekend.
Merino will be arriving at Arsenal without the benefit of a full pre-season with the club, so it might be that he’ll have to wait to get a run of games as there’ll undoubtedly need to be a bit of a settling-in period.
Eventually, though, it will be intriguing to see how AFC line up in midfield, as Merino will be competing with the likes of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Jorginho for a place in the side, while he could perhaps also be utilised in a more advanced role that the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira might have played in before they left this summer.
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