Arsenal’s £32 million deal, it seems, caused a ripple effect which led to the £27 million man leaving West Ham United.
And this is often the case in transfer windows. One signing sets off a chain reaction which paves the way for further moves later down the line.
Arsenal, after weeks of negotiations, finally secured a £32 million deal with Real Sociedad for Spain international Mikel Merino a month ago. A European Championship winner with Spain in the summer, Merino might not have been the A-list addition many Gunners fans were pining for but, as the stats suggest, this one of the most complete, well-rounded central midfielders in the game.
But how did the second of Arsenal’s two marque arrivals result in one of the most expensive signings in West Ham’s history leave the London Stadium on the final day of the window?
Arsenal played a role in Nayef Aguerd’s West Ham United exit
Jokin Aperribay, the Real Sociedad president, is opening up on the deal which took Nayef Aguerd to the Anoeta on loan for 2024/25.
And he admits, that had former Newcastle United youngster Merino not returned to England, Aguerd might have been left stuck on The Hammers’ bench.
“If we didn’t sell Merino, we wouldn’t have made any more signings,” Aperribay tells Noticias de Gipuzkoa, the La Liga outfit also tying up a £17 million deal for Copenhagen striker Orri Oskarsson.
“The truth is that, at around 8.30pm, we already knew that both were coming. At 10pm, it was over. We knew it was going to be a long summer. We wanted to invest in the future.
“We were considering many names of centre-backs. For some we already knew we would have to wait because when we spoke to their clubs they were selling and not loaning,” adds Aperribay, who confirms that German legend Mats Hummels was on the radar before they got their mitts on Aguerd.
“We already knew that we had little time, that we had to act quickly and we were prepared to act. There was a moment when we decided to wait until the end to opt for one of the loans, and the player who most convinced the people who had to make the decision was Nayef.
“We went into the last few days thinking that if it wasn’t him, no one would come.”
Big things were expected of Aguerd when he joined West Ham in a £27 million deal from Rennes back in 2022. After a positive start to life in England, the Morocco international endured an almighty drop off last term alongside Kurt Zouma.
Both players have now departed, West Ham beating Juventus to Jean-Clair Todibo and snatching Wolves captain Max Kilman to reinforce a backline that was breached a staggering 74 times.
Julen Lopetegui’s side made big changes this summer
Aguerd’s Hammers career is not yet over, however. There is no purchase clause in his Real Sociedad contract, meaning a return to form over in Spain could provide the basis for a fresh start.
“I want to thank everyone at the club,” Aguerd said after putting pen to paper with La Real, via Mundo Deportivo. “I’m very happy to be at this great club with history. I’m ready to give everything for this club on and off the pitch. Let’s go.
“It wasn’t hard for me to come here. It’s a very healthy club, it helps players improve a lot, and I’m looking for that to keep growing.
“The club also wants to grow and we have to give our all.”
With one win and two defeats from their first two games under Julen Lopetegui, West Ham travel across the capital to face Fulham on Saturday afternoon.
The ‘world-class’ Merino, meanwhile, is one of three midfielders ruled out for Arsenal – alongside Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice – ahead of the North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur.
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