Mikel Merino to Arsenal: Real Sociedad’s €7m mistake

Robin Bairner

23 Aug 2024 02:26 CDT
4 min read

Mikel Merino, Arsenal, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Mikel Merino will become an Arsenal player, with the Real Sociedad midfielder expected to join the Gunners in a matter of hours.

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The deal has been long-running, with the negotiations dragging out weeks. On Thursday, however, it was announced that everything is done.

Marca boldly pronounced that “Merino is an Arsenal player”, and while that’s not strictly true yet, it is, finally, inevitable.

Current ETV

Mikel Merino

M (C)

Real Sociedad

Mikel Merino

M (C)

Real Sociedad

ETV Range

€15M - €25.1M

Arsenal will pay €33.5 million for the Spain Euro 2024 hero, with a possible €5m to follow in bonuses. This is above Merino's Expected Transfer Value (ETV) of €20.1m, but the Gunners will see it as a bargain to fill a role that they have long wanted addressed.

Although Merino is out of contract in less than 12 months, this stacks up as an attractive buy for the Londoners balanced against what Sociedad were holding out for.

The Gunners were told they would have to pay at least €40m for the player. How have they succeeded, then, in getting such a discount for the player?

Merino to Arsenal: How the deal went down

Real Sociedad are notoriously difficult to negotiate with, so despite Arsenal’s relationship with the Spanish club, most notably from a deal last summer that took Kieran Tierney to LaLiga on loan, the Gunners were never going to have it easy to get Merino, one of La Real’s best players.

The Gunners, though, were helped by Merino’s stance. He made it very clear early on that he wanted to move to the Emirates, agreeing terms with the Premier League side soon after Euro 2024 had finished.

The pressure was, therefore, turned up on Sociedad. The response was to offer Merino a new contract, but this was rejected. Advantage Arsenal.

Although the Spanish side were digging their heels in, their position was increasingly weak. A lack of other suitors willing to pay the type of price Arsenal were discussing did not help them.

All the while, time was marching on, advancing towards the deadline.

© IMAGO - Mikel Merino: Arsenal have got their man

On Monday, Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay admitted that his side were “condemned” to come to an agreement with Arsenal, having waited for the transfer market to advance too long to get the type of fee they wanted for Merino. It was a €7m mistake on their part.

Ultimately, everyone will come out of this deal happy.

Arsenal have got their man, Merino has got his dream move and Real Sociedad have earned big money (though not as big as they wished) for a player destined to leave in a year.

The Gunners, though, should be especially pleased with their business, having outwitted one of the shrewdest clubs in the market.