In February 2025, Arsenal were rocked by an injury crisis in the forward line. Successive injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz left an already thin squad on its knees. With Arsenal in dire straits, however, Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff turned to a left-field option. Mikel Merino had built a decent reputation for scoring mostly headed goals at the time, but he did not immediately possess the profile of a centre forward. Cutting the story we all know short, he went on to enjoy a fruitful spell as our main striker for the rest of the season. Blending a natural instinct for scoring goals with his simple gameplay, Merino is arguably the best false nine at the club. He does the simple things well in attack, and simple is what we need right now.
Merino and the numbers that matter
To date, his run of ten goal contributions in 18 games is the best any Arsenal centre forward has mustered over a similar stretch. That is an astonishing statistic, considering a certain Swedish number nine was brought in to do exactly that on a regular basis. I will be very blunt in sharing my opinion. Viktor Gyökeres just is not good enough to lead the Arsenal attack. Call it harsh or negative, but the former Sporting man has done little to justify his fairly hefty price tag. The fact there were calls for Merino to be picked ahead of him prior to Havertz’s return reflects his time at the club so far. His goal and assist in the recent UCL outing may have eased the mounting pressure on his shoulders, but I remain unconvinced. The Swede lacks aerial presence and the instinct of a predatory finisher, while his technical limitations are glaring.
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Assessing the other options
Gabriel Jesus is another option at Mikel Arteta’s disposal. After missing ten months of action through injury, the Brazilian is now back up to speed. His recent brace against Inter Milan highlighted the value he can still offer. Chaos, flair and an intense work rate at the tip of the attacking trident. However, there is no denying the team has moved past him. As his performance against United showed, he is not physically suited to making a consistent impact on this Arsenal side.
Kai Havertz, on the other hand, is currently our best option at centre forward moving ahead. In his first start of the season in midweek, the German needed only 45 minutes to remind us what a valuable asset he is. A superb assist for Viktor Gyökeres was followed by an excellent finish to give Arsenal the lead before the break. Operating as an attacking midfielder and second striker hybrid, he created three big chances and supplied four key passes in the first period. He was taken off at half time, but this appeared to be careful management rather than concern.
This is my opinion, and I would love to hear yours. Mikel Merino or Kai Havertz, who should lead the line against Leeds? The irony of them both being midfielders is not lost on me..
Benjamin Kenneth
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