Merino hails 'magic' Arsenal star after 'long journey'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 31 Oct 2024 12:46 GMT
• 3 min read

Mikel Merino has revealed how excited he is to be reunited with Martin Odegaard at Arsenal.

The Spaniard made his full Gunners debut in the shock 2-0 loss to Bournemouth at the weekend, starting for the first time since his summer transfer.

Arsenal once again found themselves on the receiving end of a red card and, unlike on previous occasions, they were punished for it this time. It was a deflating defeat for Mikel Arteta's men, but they have the chance to bounce back against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.

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While the match against the Cherries marked the first time summer arrival Merino started, captain Martin Odegaard was only able to watch on from the stands as he is still recovering from an ankle sprain that has kept him sidelined since September.

The two midfielders actually know each other from their Real Sociedad days and Merino has now detailed how excited he is to once again work with the Norwegian.

Merino hails 'magic' Odegaard

Odegaard spent a season on loan in San Sebastian in 2019/2020, at the time still being viewed as the promising wonderkid who never quite managed to establish himself at Real Madrid.

It was at Real Sociedad where Odegaard really showed that he could compete in one of Europe's elite leagues and he joined Arsenal the subsequent season, quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League's best midfielders.

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"It has been a long journey for him and for me," the Merino said of Odegaard. "That finishes now playing together again. We played maybe four, five or six years ago. I saw him as this really talented kid that was just magic in the number 10 position.

"He made my job really easy because he's the one who moves really good in the pockets, he turns, plays quick and for me, as a number eight back in the day, I used to find him a lot and he used to make my passes better. It's amazing how he has evolved and developed.

"Now he's a grown man, the captain, the leader of this club and you can hear the maturity in his voice, how he acts, talks to people and behaves on the pitch. It's great to be back with him again and hopefully we can keep building that relationship and connection that we have."