New Arsenal signing Mikel Merino suffered a shoulder injury in his first training session with the club.
Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed the £32million man from Real Sociedad will be out for a ‘few weeks’ with a suspected fracture.
Merino, whose arrival was announced on Tuesday, was involved in a collision with Gunners defender Gabriel and later pictured in a sling.
“It’s unfortunate,” Arteta said. “He has a shoulder injury and it looks like he will be out for a few weeks.
“He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him, it’s a fracture probably.”
The Gunners tracked Merino throughout 2024 and watched as the midfielder starred for Spain on their way to European Championship glory.
His arrival brought Arsenal‘s summer spending to £97million having also secured the services of versatile Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for £38m.
There were hopes Merino would make his debut in midfield alongside Declan Rice on Saturday against Brighton, but the 28-year-old will now face a spell on the sidelines.
Reflecting on the arrival of the former Newcastle man, Arteta previously said: “Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility.
“He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now.
“Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.”
The summer transfer window remains open until 11pm on Friday night and Arsenal may not be done yet.
Chelsea have offered Raheem Sterling as they look to offload the 29-year-old forward, with the Gunners thought to be considering a move.
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Meanwhile, Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto is set to arrive on a loan deal following Aaron Ramsdale’s £18million transfer to Southampton.
Reacting to Ramsdale’s exit, Arteta said: “Thank you so much for what he’s done for the club, for the team and for myself.
“He brought a lot of joy and charisma and was really good when he joined.
“He had a situation that was really good for him. He insisted that he’s really joyful when he plays and we tried to arrange that.”
Arsenal are also expecting to sell Eddie Nketiah to Crystal Palace on Deadline Day.
