Done deal: Enforcer agrees terms with Newcastle after paperwork finalised
By Aramide Oladipo
Midfield enforcer Mikel Merino has completed his move to Newcastle United, it has been confirmed.
The 21-year-old has joined the newly-promoted Premier League side from European giants Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan deal.
The Tyneside club confirmed the news on their official website and official Twitter account on Friday afternoon.
The Spaniard becomes the fifth player to secure a summer move to St James’ Park, after Jacob Murphy, Javier Manquillo, Florian Lejeune and Christian Atsu all completed deals.
The midfielder signed for Dortmund last summer but he was unable to become a first-team regular last season.
Merino only managed to make a total of nine appearances in all competitions and he failed to score or provide a single goal in the process.
Before his move to Germany, Merino was plying his trade with Spanish outfit Osasuna where he enjoyed four years at the club and helped them to achieve promotion to La Liga during the 2015-16 campaign.
The midfielder was also involved in the Under-21 Spain national team who made it to the final of the European Championships this summer in Poland.
Merino made two appearances for his country in the competition.
The Spaniard will be hopeful that he can enjoy a decent run in the Newcastle first-team next season.
Football Insider verdict
After the earlier struggles of getting players over the line in the transfer window, Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez will be delighted to secure his fifth signing of the summer. Merino’s signing is somewhat of a gamble as the midfielder has spent the majority of his short career playing in the second tier. The Spaniard failed to deliver at Dortmund and he only completed 90 minutes on one occasion for his country in the Under-21 tournament this summer, so he will have a lot to prove in his first season in England. Newcastle supporters will no doubt be encouraged to see new faces join the club but it might be a concern that most of their arrivals will be experiencing Premier League football for the first time in their respected careers.
In other Newcastle transfer news, Ligue 1 side Metz remain optimistic about the prospect of signing this Newcastle centre-forward.
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