Arsenal have a new dribbling supremo on their hands in the shape of Mikel Merino.
The Spanish midfielder is closing in on a move to north London and has already given a glimpse of what he has to offer the Premier League from his fairly uneventful stay at Newcastle.
Arsenal struck a deal worth £32million to bring the player in from Spanish side Real Sociedad.
Merino has already enjoyed a taste of English football, having joined Newcastle United on a season-long loan deal from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017.
During that campaign, Merino did something memorable when in March 2018 he successfully managed to dribble past Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk.
The achievement might not sound too remarkable, but it was a feat that wasn’t completed by anyone for a staggering 17 months after that day.
Competing in August 2019, Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe successfully followed in Merino’s footsteps, becoming the first player in 50 of Van Dijk’s appearances to dribble past the Dutchman.
Merino’s loan move to Newcastle was turned into a permanent move during the 2017/18 season, however, he didn’t stick around long at St James’ Park with Real Sociedad swooping him and taking him back to Spain in the summer of 2018.
Making just 25 appearances for Newcastle, the central midfielder has been a key man for Real Sociedad in the years since, making 242 appearances, scoring 27 goals and offering 30 assists.
It’s that sort of record that made him a top target for Arsenal.
With the Gunners challenging for the Premier League title this term, Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the Spaniard will add crucial quality to their midfield ranks for the new season.
The midfielder enjoyed his best season last term – chipping in with eight goals and five assists in all competitions.
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And he carried his fine form into the European Championship where he played a key role in helping Spain lift the trophy for a record fourth time.
Merino featured in all seven of Spain’s matches and scored the winning goal against host nation Germany in the quarter-final in a thrilling 2-1 extra-time victory.
Should he make the move to the Emirates Stadium, it would see Arsenal fork out almost £100million on three players this summer.
