Mikel Merino has insisted his success with Spain at Euro 2024 has led to an extra level of respect for him at new club Arsenal.
Mikel Merino arrived at Arsenal from Real Sociedad towards the end of the summer transfer window. The midfielder had to wait until October 1st to make his Arsenal debut due to an injury he picked up while training with his new teammates.
Prior to joining the north London club, the 28-year-old won the Euro 2024 with Spain in the summer. El País have now interviewed Merino and asked him whether La Roja’s success has ‘any effect’ on his Arsenal teammates.
Respodining to that, he said: “Yes of course. We players are very respectable. We know what it costs to win things like this.”
“You say: ‘Wow, this guy had to do things well to win one of these tournaments.’ That respect and admiration from your teammates is noticeable, especially when you arrive at a club like this, with many young players, and you being one of the veterans. You notice that your colleagues ask you things, they respect you as soon as you arrive.”
Real Sociedad originally signed Merino from Newcastle United in 2018. His performances for the San Sebastian club over the years convinced the North London club to bet on him in the summer.
El País asked how Mikel Arteta seduced him to join Arsenal. When responding to that, he explained the Gunners’ project and their plan for him was instrumental in his decision to pick them.
“I was seduced by the fact that it was a team in a process of growth, that they had not yet won, and they wanted to win. Feeling a participant in building a winning culture, as happened to me at Real,” he explained.
“And also, that they insisted that they could help me grow more. It will be a place where they will try to help you polish your defects and become that total player who can achieve more things on an individual level.”
The Premier League side reportedly paid £27.4m plus bonuses to secure the Spaniard’s services. He has scored a goal from nine games in all competitions for them so far after a shoulder injury in his first training session with his new side.
When asked what he wants to improve, Merino has suggested he wants to be a bargain signing for Arteta’s side.
“I consider myself a very decisive player in the game in general. In helping the team to be solid defensively, to carry the weight of the game with the ball, to not weigh down the pressure and to ensure that there is continuity in the game, and that your team puts itself in situations in which the forwards can score,” he added.
“But it would be something incredible to be able to also be decisive not only in the general aspect but also in the goal, in the assists, near the area and in the final third. The best in the world does that well, and it’s what you pay the most money for. And it is the most difficult. I hope I can do it too.”
