Mikel Arteta is said to have a specific plan in place for Mikel Merino’s debut – should he secure his long-anticipated move to Arsenal this week.
The Spaniard – who has been consistently linked with the Premier League giants this summer – agreed personal terms with the club last month, and Arsenal have continued to negotiate on a fee with Real Sociedad, reports the Express.
Hopes that a deal to bring the 28-year-old to the Emirates was nearing completion were further enhanced when Merino was left out of Sociedad’s squad against Rayo Vallecano in their La Liga opener on Sunday (August 18), which they lost 2-1.
With less than two weeks to go in the transfer window, Arsenal will hope to finalise a deal as soon as possible. And according to GiveMeSport, Arteta already has a plan in motion to best prepare Merino for a potential debut against Aston Villa on Saturday (August 24).
Should the midfielder become a Gunner this week, it does remain somewhat unlikely he’ll be immediately drafted into the starting line-up. But according to the same report, there is still a chance of him featuring if a transfer can be completed soon due to concerns that Thomas Partey’s limitations could be exploited by Unai Emery’s side.
Despite missing Sociedad’s first league match, Arteta has reportedly urged Merino to keep up his fitness levels with specific training drills, aiming to increase his readiness to play at Villa Park, subject to an agreement being finalised.
Arsenal are confident in their bid to secure Merino, despite Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil stating during Saturday’s pre-match press conference that the midfielder is still committed to the La Liga outfit. Alguacil revealed that although Merino was fit for selection, he was excluded from the squad because of ongoing transfer discussions with Arsenal.
On being asked about Merino and fellow team member Martin Zubimendi’s future, who turned down a move to Liverpool to remain with his boyhood team, Alguacil decisively said: “Both are here, one is not on the list and the other is in the squad.”
Adding further, he expressed: “They still belong to Real and both are going to be with the team to the death. Nothing changes, I said it yesterday. Those of us who are here will go all out to win the game. And then we’ll see who is there for the next one.”
Arteta also spoke about Merino and his general transfer plans to where he made it clear: “You know that I cannot talk about any other players” before opening up about the club’s plan this summer. He added: “Before the season we had two objectives.
“The main one was to make sure that we are very much in love with our players and find ways to improve them because that’s the main thing. Then okay if there are still certain opportunities in the market to improve the squad we have to look at that, that’s what we are trying to do.”
Arsenal had a positive start to their Premier League season as they collected all three points from a 2-0 victory over Wolves, with Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard forming a formidable partnership in central midfield. However, Saturday’s upcoming away clash against Aston Villa (5.30pm) will be a real measure of their championship potential this year especially following their impressive win at West Ham the previous weekend.
If Merino doesn’t make his Arsenal debut this coming Saturday, it’s highly likely his first game dressed in the club colours will be the subsequent home encounter with Brighton on August 31, just before the international break.
