Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has commented on their addition of Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino for £32 million.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been rather quiet in the summer transfer window with the North London club believing that they only need one or two key additions to their squad before they could make a serious push for the Premier League title.
Arsenal completed the signing of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna with the Euro 2024 star set to play a key role in their defence.
As well as a defensive addition, Arsenal have completed the signing of midfielder Mikel Merino after weeks of negotiations with Real Sociedad to land the former Newcastle United midfielder.
Mikel Arteta comments on Mikel Merino’s addition
HITC had reported that Arsenal were keen on Merino back in July and the Gunners have confirmed the signing of the midfielder. He is surely set to be in the squad for this weekend’s clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking to Arsenal’s website, the Spanish manager has been full of praise for the midfielder when asked what the former Newcastle United ace.
“Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility,” Arteta said. “He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now.
“Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.
“As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament. We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can’t wait to start working with him.”
Arteta following Calafiori blueprint with Merino
When Arsenal completed the signing of Calafiori, Arteta was keen to highlight his character as one of the key reasons behind the signing of the Bologna defender.
As for Merino, Arteta has praised a similar characteristic in the Spanish midfielder and it certainly seems that he has very specific characters that he wants in his Gunners team ahead of fighting Manchester City, and potentially Liverpool, battling it out for the league crown.
Merino excelled for Spain during Euro 2024 and the midfielder will have a lot of buzz about him ahead of his Arsenal debut.
The post Mikel Arteta hails new Arsenal ace who is a 'winner' after transfer finally confirmed appeared first on HITC.
from HITC https://ift.tt/z9Pie5h
No comments: