With his first significant selection decision upon him since penning a new four-year deal at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta finds himself facing an issue at centre forward. Kai Havertz’s unfortunate injury leaves the Gunners boss with some problems to solve up front. Mikel Merino at Arsenal could be the unexpected answer. They also have an opportunity to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion. Welcoming Leeds United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Havertz blows open the door
Havertz has started in the central role for Arteta this season and has scored three times in seven games. Gyokeres has only been on the pitch for 29 minutes in the Premier League this season. Arsenal are now into their sixth game.
However, the scenario has now changed. Havertz picked up a muscle injury playing for Germany and is expected to be out for the foreseeable future. Gyokeres seems the obvious choice to replace him. He scored in all four of Sweden’s Nations League fixtures during the international window.
The case for Merino
There is, however, another option. Mikel Merino has not started a single Premier League game this season. Martin Odegaard’s strong form is keeping him out of the midfield. The 30-year-old joined from Real Sociedad as a central midfielder. He has become a threat as a centre forward during his time in north London.
His recent numbers for Spain make the case compelling. Merino scored three goals and set up another in four games during the international break, without starting any of them. That included a two-goal cameo against Croatia on Tuesday.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente was full of praise afterwards. He said it was an honour to coach a player of Merino’s calibre. Insisting he would be more appreciated in another country. De la Fuente also highlighted Merino’s gift for scoring important goals. He called him one of the best in the world in his position.
The statistics confirm that. Since the beginning of last season, Merino has scored a goal on average every 165 minutes for both club and country. Even though he has never secured a regular starting spot. He has also produced important moments for Arsenal many times since he joined.
A defining call for Arteta
Picking Gyokeres would be the obvious choice. After minimal gametime, the Swede will be desperate to show his worth.
Merino’s current form and his ability to find the net inside the penalty area makes a compelling argument for him to be given his first league start of the season.
With Arsenal looking to recover from the disappointment of defeat against Brighton, Arteta’s decision on Saturday will be hotly debated and could say a lot about how he intends to build his squad in this new chapter of his Emirates career.
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