Arsenal have several very underrated players in their squad.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes often steal the headlines, and they deserve all the praise they get. They are all phenomenal.
However, there are a few players in Mikel Arteta’s squad who are often forgotten when speaking about the best and most important members of the squad.
One such player is Mikel Merino.
Spain manager says Arsenal’s Mikel Merino is one of the best in the world in his position
The Arsenal man didn’t start a single one of the World Champions’ four games. He came off the bench every time and was on the pitch for a combined 109 minutes across those fixtures.
Yet, Merino was incredibly effective, scoring three goals and providing an assist. If you break it down, that is a direct goal contribution every 27.25 minutes, which is an outrageous return.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has been impressed by the midfielder, so much so that he has named him one of the best players in the world in that position.
But like many of us, the 65-year-old feels Merino is underrated.
He said, as per beIN Sports: “It’s an honour to coach a player like that. In another country he would be more valued. I hope more will be done.
“Merino is one of the best in the world in his position. He has the class to play in any team and can always play, obviously. He knows how to understand these moments of the match. He has that gift that is the sense of the goal, for important goals, too.”
Mikel Arteta’s impact on Mikel Merino is clear to see
Merino was never really seen as a goalscorer, but everything changed once Arsenal signed him and he started working under Mikel Arteta.
The midfielder has 55 senior caps for Spain, but if you split them right in the middle, you can see how he has fared before and after working under the Gunners’ boss.
Merino had scored just two goals in 28 appearances for Spain before he joined Arteta’s Arsenal from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2024.
Since then, he has played 27 games and has found the net 13 times, including five goals in his last eight games, even though he didn’t start any of those fixtures.
Arteta’s influence on Merino’s attacking prowess is very clear to see. Hopefully, he can get that out of him more consistently at Arsenal in the remainder of this season.