What a deadline day that was for Arsenal fans with Edu Gaspar doubling the Gunners’ total arrivals in the final hours of the window.
Mikel Arteta had been handed two new signings leading up to deadline day with Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino through the doors.
There was still a considerable amount of work to be done in north London going into the final hours on Friday.
Arsenal kicked off their deadline day with the signing of Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto on a season-long loan.
And then, after being granted an extension, Arsenal completed the signing of Raheem Sterling on another season-long loan deal.
However, it is not all good news with Merino already nursing an injury issue having only just arrived at London Colney.
How long Mikel Merino will miss through Arsenal injury
Arsenal fans may have been made to wait until the early hours of this morning to see Sterling in an Arsenal shirt, but they got there in the end.
The Chelsea forward may not be Arteta’s long-term vision given Arsenal were unable to land their top target in Nico Williams.
One player who is in the long-term plans at Arsenal is Merino, but fans are going to have to wait a little longer before seeing him take to the pitch
According to Team News and Tickets, Arsenal’s summer signing Merino is set to miss the next six to eight weeks with his shoulder issue.
Merino arrived earlier this week from Real Sociedad and had even been spotted in training – albeit individually.
But Arteta delivered the bad news about his injury in Friday’s press conference but did not reveal the extent of the issue.
“Yesterday he had a collision and he has a shoulder injury unfortunately. It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks,” Arteta told the media.
What games could Mikel Merino miss for Arsenal through injury
Fortunately for Arsenal, midfield is not an issue for Arteta with plenty of options at his fingertips in north London.
But it is far from the ideal start for Merino who will have been aiming to hit the ground running this weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Nevertheless, here is a list of Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures for the next eight weeks.hj
