Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has helped Mikel Merino become a “world-class player”. Not for the Gunners, but for Spain.
Those are the words of La Roja boss Luis de la Fuente, who waxed lyrical about the Arsenal midfielder after his hat-trick in World Cup qualifying against Turkey.
Merino’s record for Spain this year is outstanding. He has scored six goals in six matches and, in this international break alone, registered four goals and one assist against Turkey and Bulgaria.
“We have fantastic players, and he’s another example of a footballer who does many things well, who’s a genius, a world-class player, and who sometimes doesn’t get the recognition in Spain. He’s one of the best in the world in his position.”
What is his position, though? For Spain, the reigning European champions, he’s a midfielder with the freedom to crash the box and score goals, as his recent record shows.
For Arsenal – a club without a major honour since 2020 – he doesn’t start. So his position is wherever Arteta needs him. For most of last season, that was up front, but with more centre-forward options now, he’ll likely only feature in midfield.
Those centre-forward appearances have helped take Merino’s game to another level, with Spain reaping the benefits, and Arsenal now not quite knowing what to do with him.
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Spanish outlet SPORT even described Merino as ‘Arteta’s favour to Spain’, suggesting fans enjoying his form ‘owe one’ to the Arsenal manager.
It was his ‘daring and genius as a coach’ that supposedly created a ‘killer’ capable of scoring hat-tricks against a decent Turkey side.
We can’t deny it was smart of Arteta to use Merino up top in the second half of 2024/25. Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced his hand, but it worked.
It was Merino’s brace off the bench at Leicester City that confirmed him as a serious option there, and that positional change ‘has marked a definitive leap in his career’.
There’s no doubt his career has shifted because of that run-in. But he was already a regular for Spain, scoring in last summer’s European Championship quarter-final against Germany.
The first signs of his national team rise came a month after his Leicester goals, when he netted against the Netherlands in the Nations League. In June, he scored again in the semi-finals against France.
Merino didn’t miss a minute across Spain’s qualifying double-header this month, and is clearly a player De la Fuente relies on.
It’s no small feat to be a regular for the European champions. Spain’s midfield has been Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Pedri, with Rodri reduced to back-up for now, and Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez waiting in the wings. The depth is absurd.
Fair play to Merino for making such versatility work. The best international team in the world are benefitting from it, but with Viktor Gyokeres leading the line for Arsenal, it’s unclear what the future holds for him at club level.
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