Arsenal unearth ‘hidden gem’ to be Arteta’s new striker after Sky reveal
Arsenal fans believe they have found a “hidden gem” in Mikel Merino to play up front throughout the rest of the season following their injury troubles.
The 28-year-old came off the bench and scored a crucial brace on Saturday (15 February) in the final 10 minutes of the game as Arsenal defeated Leicester City 2-0.
The three points helped keep their Premier League title aspirations alive as Mikel Arteta’s men kept the gap between them and Liverpool to seven points.
However, Arteta is without a natural striker heading into the business end of the season due to injuries.
The Gunners are already without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus, but Kai Havertz recently added himself to that list.
The Germany international was hurt during warm-weather training in Dubai and is out for the remainder of the season, leaving Arteta scrambling to find other options.
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has ‘brilliant movement’
Sue Smith spoke to Sky Sports about Merino’s cameo performance against the Foxes, highlighting one aspect of his game that showed promising signs.
She said, “His movement was brilliant, it was the movement of a striker. Whether that’s something he’s going to use going forward, I’m sure it’s going to be another option for him.
“You know you’ve got the players who can get the deliveries into the box, if his movement is good and that presence up there, it’s different.”
Mikel Merino has blown Arsenal fans away
Merino is typically a box-to-box central midfielder and before the game against Leicester he had only scored two Premier League goals this season.
However, desperate times call for desperate measures and Arsenal fans believe he could be the answer to their problems.
Fans believe it was a “promising display” from Merino, with others claiming he’s got “more position sense than Hojlund.”
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