Winners and losers of Mikel Merino joining Arsenal

Cameron Smith

27 Aug 2024 16:16 BST
4 min read

Mikel Merino has officially joined Arsenal for an initial fee of €32 million.

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Mikel Arteta’s side have sealed an agreement with Real Sociedad and the Spain international has penned a four-year contract at the Emirates, with the deal potentially rising to €37m with add-ons.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the winners and losers of Merino’s transfer to Arsenal.

Winner - Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta is one of the main reasons why Arsenal have signed Merino, with the Spaniard playing a key role in the Gunners’ pursuit.

Arteta is a huge admirer of Merino, as per multiple reports, and is eager to embed him into Arsenal’s current squad.

His physical presence aligns perfectly with the team Arsenal are building, having won more duels than any other player across Europe's top five leagues last season, while he also has the technical quality needed to thrive alongside Declan Rice.

This season is huge for Arteta and adding Merino will be a major boost.

© IMAGO - Mikel Merino is set to join Arsenal

Loser - Real Sociedad

There’s no avoiding the fact that Real Sociedad will be significantly weaker without Merino.

They have been able to ward off interest in Martin Zubimendi, but their attempts to do the same with Merino have fallen on deaf ears and he is set to leave the club for north London.

His absence will be sorely felt and it may impact their ability to finish in the European places in LaLiga.

Winner - Luka Sucic

Real Sociedad’s summer signing stands to benefit massively from Merino’s move to Arsenal.

Bought for €10m from RB Salzburg, Luka Sucic could well become a starter at Real Sociedad after Merino's departure.

With 10 caps for Croatia, he is an extremely highly-rated talent, but his pathway to regular minutes may have been stunted by Merino. With the Spaniard exiting, Sucic is in line to become a key member of Real Sociedad’s starting XI.

Loser - Gabriel Jesus

With Merino arriving to bolster Arsenal’s midfield options, Kai Havertz is set to remain as the Gunners’ first-choice number nine.

The Germany international did feature in midfield on multiple occasions last season, but Merino’s arrival means he will solely be deployed up front.

Jesus will lose out as a result, with Arteta currently preferring Havertz through the middle.

Winner - Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli endured a down year last season, with the Brazilian notching only six Premier League goals.

It came after his immense 2022-23 campaign, in which he bagged 15 goals in just 36 English top flight games.

The loss of Granit Xhaka impacted Martinelli’s game and the Brazil international suffered following his departure.

Kai Havertz and Declan Rice weren’t able to match Xhaka’s productivity in the role, but Merino looks perfectly suited for the position and he could help Martinelli get back to his best.

Loser - Thomas Partey

FootballTransfers understands that Thomas Partey will not be offered a new contract by Arsenal and his place in the starting XI is under massive threat due to Merino.

The Spain international is expected to play as a left-sided number eight, which will push Rice into a more resolved role and see Partey dropped to the substitutes bench.

He will still pick up significant game time, although Merino is likely to replace him in Arteta’s preferred line-up.