Granit Xhaka leaving Arsenal in summer 2023 did not sit well with a lot of fans. The Swiss midfielder really made a difference in the LCM position for the Gunners in the 2022-23 season, where he worked tremendously hard in helping them link via attack as well as defense-solidifying both aspects of the game. This, really used to have the left-hand side of Arsenal moving.
Since then, Arsenal has really struggled to find a suitable replacement for him. No player has yet replaced the Swiss international at the LCM for Arsenal in the same way. The Gunners, though, figured out how to survive without him going into the 2023-24 season. To fill in above his absence, however, they would need to find a replacement during the summer, and so Mikel Merino came to wear the xhaka spot.
Merino’s journey at Arsenal began with a setback when he sustained an injury just days after joining, leading to a month-long absence.
When he was coming back, the Gunners’ midfield wasn’t really at its peak; they were feeling the impact of Martin Ødegaard not being there.
When Odegaard returned to RCM, Merino found himself in a competition with Declan Rice for a starting position, particularly since Partey had surprisingly solidified his position at #6.
Merino has had opportunities to shine, but he hasn’t quite matched the expectations that surrounded his arrival. Some people are calling him a flop already, but are we being too quick to judge him? How can we label Merino as a flop after only about 10 games, especially considering that we had to endure years of Xhaka being average before he finally gave us one outstanding season and moved on?
We shouldn’t let our quick judgements about Xhaka make us overlook Merino; he just needs a bit of time. Jakub Kiwior has really shown his quality in recent games, and we’ve been singing his praises. It’s hard to believe that not long ago, many fans viewed him as a weak link in defense and wanted him out during the winter transfer window.
It seems like Mikel Arteta was hoping to count on a midfield trio of Merino, Odegaard, and Rice. The trio really shone when they played against Monaco, and even Arteta mentioned that it’s a midfield setup he wants to develop further.
Thomas Partey’s talent and injuries have made it tough for this midfield trio to play consistently, but what if they could? With a good stretch of games, Merino could really shine for this Arsenal team, so let’s not count him out just yet.
