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Soon after Arsenal officially announced the signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad for a fee that could reach $41 million, the Gunners were dealt a blow. The Spanish international picked up an injury this week in one of his first training sessions, ruling him out until mid-September.
It’s a blow for Arsenal, but hopefully the shoulder injury isn’t a fracture. If so, it may mean a longer wait until he makes his Arsenal debut.
When he’s ready, Merino will have a significant impact on Arsenal’s midfield. After all, before signing him, Arsenal didn’t have a natural number eight in their squad. Yes, a team that took the title race to the final day didn’t have a natural central midfielder in their squad.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta has finally got his man. There’s hope that Merino could finally stabilize that left-hand side and potentially unlock Gabriel Martinelli to play back to his best.
A Season of Tactical Adjustments in Midfield
Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, and Leandro Trossard have all been used in that left ‘8’ position throughout last season. But it was Declan Rice being the superior option. Havertz was then shifted to striker, where he ended the season strong and started this one in a similar vein.
The German was initially brought in to replace Granit Xhaka, who himself had an illustrious season and became an ‘Invincible’, but for Bayer Leverkusen.
Havertz struggled to adapt in the first part of the season. He scored only six goals and a total of zero assists in all competitions playing as a midfielder. Compare that to the eight goals and seven assists in only 18 appearances as the central striker. An impressive return, all things considered.
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This meant that Declan Rice had to fill that left central midfield position. But this seemed to pay off, with the Englishman…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mikel-merino-fill-void-in-midfield-for-arsenal/
Author : Aasif Rahman
Publish date : 2024-08-30 14:15:22
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