Mikel Merino has enjoyed a Kai Havertz-esque resurgence at Arsenal, but the Spaniard and the German will be fighting for a spot in the team next term, Gunners expert Charles Watts believes.
Merino experienced a disrupted start to life in North London following his arrival from Real Sociedad, having sustained a freak shoulder injury in a training-ground incident with Gabriel Magalhaes, but he is flourishing as Mikel Arteta's makeshift number nine.
The 28-year-old has been directly involved 13 goals in 39 games this season, most recently laying on a delicate backheel assist for Gabriel Martinelli in last weekend's 4-0 crushing of Ipswich Town, and he is expected to start against Paris Saint-Germain in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg if he can recover from a small knock.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Watts likened Merino's rise to that of Havertz, who floundered in a midfield role at Arsenal before excelling up front in the 2023-24 campaign, ending his debut season with 22 goal contributions from 51 appearances.
"You've just got to give new players, no matter how experienced they are, time to adjust to a new country and way of playing," Watts said. "I know Merino has played in the Premier League before, but that was a long, long time ago.
"When you speak to any new signing at Arsenal, they're all like 'I've never seen training or coaching methods like this.' It's all so new to them. Declan Rice said it himself when he joined. I'm delighted to see what he's doing, because we all questioned him. I did.
Merino "flicked a switch" to emulate Havertz at Arsenal
"It's very similar to what happened with Kai Havertz - after about three or four months, you're just thinking 'I don't see this is going to work.' But then the switch flicked for him, this move up front. He's found his confidence, his belief, probably feels he feels like he's part of the team, which maybe he didn't do beforehand.
"I thought he was brilliant for the first half against Ipswich, it was an absolute clinic in that number eight position. It wasn't actually that different to what he's been doing playing up front - he was playing very in an advanced role. But his pressing was brilliant, his duels, we know all about them. The touch for Martinelli was fantastic.
"It bodes well for next season. Suddenly you've got a player that a few months ago we were thinking, what does he bring to this squad? But now we know, and come back next season, hopefully he's going to be a really important member, whether he's starting or not. And that's a real boost."
Merino was the next best thing up front for Arteta when Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were ruled out for the rest of the season with hamstring and knee problems respectively, having proven his worth in that position with a late brace off the bench in February's win over Leicester City.
The 28-year-old subsequently struggled to make his mark in that position, but he has thrived in recent centre-forward starts with goals against PSV Eindhoven, Fulham, Chelsea and Real Madrid, as well as a pair of assists against the latter in the second leg of the UCL quarter-finals.
Merino is expected to continue as Arteta's number nine until the summer, at which point the Gunners will prioritise the capture of a new centre-forward, and Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres appears to be at the top of their list following Andrea Berta's arrival.
The Sweden international should become Arteta's first-choice marksman straight away, at which point Merino would either have to accept a backup role in attack or compete with Declan Rice for the left eight position.
Is Merino still an option up front for Arsenal next season?
© Imago
However, when asked whether Merino could still do a job up front next season, Watts was not convinced, adding: "I don't really see him as a viable option, unless something's gone desperately wrong in the transfer market or Arsenal have been hit by loads of injuries.
"He's shown he can do it, but I think we'll see him more back into his natural position. He's going to be competing with Kai Havertz, because if/when this new striker arrives, if it's a striker who walks into the team, you're going to have to find a position for Kai Havertz to get minutes. Not necessarily start every game, but get minutes.
"And you think that's probably going to be either as the reserve striker or dropping back into that left eight role that we saw him start out in without having too much success. It's good for the squad - how many times we sat here and bemoaned Arsenal's lack of squad depth in certain areas?
"If you get yourself a new striker, a new left winger, and then you've got Merino and Havertz to share the minutes in those attacking areas, suddenly you're looking at a much stronger squad than we've had this season."
Arteta recently suggested that Havertz could be back from his hamstring operation before the end of the 2024-25 season, but Jesus's ACL problem could render the Brazilian attacker unavailable until the start of 2026.
If Arsenal also go out to PSG in the Champions League semis, there will be little need to rush Havertz back into action, meaning that Merino should have ample opportunities to stake his claim for regular starts in 2025-26 between now and the end of the current campaign.
Ben Knapton
