Gabriel Magalhaes responds emotionally to ‘thank you’ message from Mikel Merino
Gabriel Magalhaes responded to a message from Arsenal teammate Mikel Merino after the club moved on to the next stage of their pre-season tour.
The Premier League’s top clubs are in an arms race to secure the world’s top talent this summer.
Liverpool have splashed out on Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, Man City have added Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, whilst Chelsea have secured Joao Pedro and Liam Delap’s signatures.
Arsenal themselves have spent nearly £200million [transfermarkt] as they look to finally break their second-place curse domestically.
Mikel Arteta’s side endured a disappointing season, with injuries marring a promising 2024/25 campaign.
But unless a truly unprecedented fitness crisis impedes the North London side next season, they otherwise look well placed to make a run at winning their first Premier League crown since 2004.
Viktor Gyokeres has finalised his move from Sporting CP, whilst Martin Zubimendi will add quality to Arsenal’s midfield.
Arsenal jet off to South Korea
And the new signings will have the opportunity to impress in the second leg of the club’s pre-season tour of Asia when they face off against Tottenham, Villareal, and Athletic Club in South Korea.
Merino shared a plethora of images on Instagram with the caption: “Thank you Singapore!”, and Magalhaes responded with a love heart emoji to his Arsenal teammate.
Arsenal midfield in a strong position
Football Insider Verdict
It is easy to forget that Merino was one of Spain’s most prized midfield assets before joining Arsenal last summer.
That is not to say the former Real Sociedad man has been poor during his time in England; more so, he has had few opportunities to prove himself in the middle of the park.
Merino spent much of last season playing as a makeshift striker thanks to Arsenal’s injury problems.
However, with a new striker in Gyokeres, the Spaniard will finally have the chance to show why the Gunners spent £31.6m [BBC Sport] to sign him.
Alongside his former midfield partner in crime in Spain, Merino and Zubimendi will likely be delighted to be reunited with an eye on showing English fans exactly what they can do together.