Mikel Merino is a natural in the role. The 29-year old has played the role like a natural. He’s scored or assisted five goals in six starts for Arsenal up front since Viktor Gyokeres was injured and he was drafted back to the position. In this game he played both roles, first heading in the opening goal for Arsenal, and then playing it to Bukayo Saka.
Mikel arteta said in his presser that he was “impressive again today” before praising the instinctive forward play which led to his goal. The way he scored was super clever. The timing of his goal, how he won the position, and the execution.”
Since the beginning of the last season, he has scored 14 goals with his head. This is more than any other Premier League player.
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Ben White’s first cross, which was directed by Mikelmerino, found him heading Arsenal to the front.
This is all coming from a midfielder that had never played in this position before, due to Kai Havertz’s injury last year.
It is possible to learn on the job, but it is also possible to do this. Merino is a master of the job and the numbers prove it.
In the first half of this year, Merino has scored 21 goals, both for Arsenal and the Spanish National Team. Merino emerged as an important spearhead for both sides.
Gyokeres, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are all available for Arsenal. Merino’s value isn’t limited to just his goals. Arteta said afterwards that Merino “makes the team better”. Since his move to the front, Arsenal has scored 15 goals in 6 games. Their average per game has jumped from 2.1 to 2.5. Merino is responsible for nearly half the goals.
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2025-12-03 22:20:00
