Newcastle United’s rise from annual Premier League relegation candidates to a consistent European side in a short space of time has been absolutely remarkable.
Newcastle have finished fourth, seventh and fifth in each of their last three Premier League campaigns, and their ability to finish in the continental spaces has seen a host of incredible stars join the club under Eddie Howe.
Sandro Tonali, Nick Woltemade, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento are just a select few names, with others joining them in the midst of their first Champions League qualification campaign.
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However, long before their newfound riches, Magpies chiefs ended up selling one star in what has turned out to be a huge blunder, with Mikel Merino’s goalscoring spree for Arsenal and Spain seeing him compared to Erling Haaland.
Martin Zubimendi scores during Spain v Bulgaria in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images
Mikel Merino’s exploits for Spain shows Newcastle made a mistake selling him
Mikel Merino joined Newcastle on loan in 2017, before a move was made permanent later in the campaign. However, the midfielder was sold to Real Sociedad the following summer for a fee of around £10million, having only featured in 25 games for the Magpies with one goal to his name.
That has transpired to be a huge blunder from then-manager Rafael Benitez. Merino went on to star for Real Sociedad over the course of six seasons, working his way into Spain’s national team and scoring a late quarter-final winner over Germany at Euro 2024. But it’s the former Borussia Dortmund prodigy’s record for La Roja that has seen him shoot to stardom.
A hat-trick against Turkey in September got the ball rolling, and Merino scored a brace for Spain against Bulgaria on Tuesday evening to take his tally to eight goals in eight games during 2025.
It’s seen him become one of Europe’s leading goalscorers, and a statistic has since emerged comparing the Arsenal star to Erling Haaland.
Only the Manchester City striker has a higher percentage of goal contribution share per national team, with 41 percent of Norway’s goals coming through the striker.
Mikel Merino has contributed to 36% of Spain’s goals in the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers. 🇪🇸🔥
Only Erling Haaland (41%) has a higher share for his national team. pic.twitter.com/JMPOPJo5C2
— WhoScored (@WhoScored) October 13, 2025
View Tweet
Merino isn’t far behind with an involvement in 36 percent of Spain’s goals, an incredible tally to say he’s naturally a midfielder.
Whilst Arsenal are reaping the benefits, Newcastle will be wondering why they let him go – especially after Merino nabbed a huge goal for Arsenal against Newcastle at the end of September.
Mikel Merino playing for Newcastle United in the Premier League
Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
Mikel Merino didn’t excel at Newcastle and nobody expected his goalscoring rise for Arsenal
Mikel Merino’s time at Arsenal has seen him used as an auxiliary striker. Last season, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were both out with injury, and Merino was called upon by Mikel Arteta.
Although Arsenal failed to win a trophy in that time, he did propel them to the Champions League semi-final with a goal against Real Madrid, scoring six goals in 12 striker appearances. Those performances meant Merino was labelled as ‘unbelievable’ by Premier League icon Chris Sutton.
Player Appearances Goals
Alexander Isak 34 23
Harvey Barnes 33 9
Jacob Murphy 35 8
Mikel Merino 28 7
Anthony Gordon 34 6
Mikel Merino’s goal tally compared to Newcastle players in the 2024/25 Premier League season
It’s certainly not the player that Newcastle had, but his experience in La Liga and in the Spain team before his move to the Premier League has undoubtedly shaped Merino’s poise in front of goal.
Moreover, Newcastle could have used Merino’s ability in front of goal this season. Yoane Wissa has been ruled out of action with a knee injury and that has left William Osula as their backup striker for now.
However, if Eddie Howe wanted experience, Merino would have been the perfect man for the job behind Nick Woltemade.