After two months away, Arsenal are back, well, sort of.
Mikel Arteta’s side made their way to the USA this week for their pre-season tour and will play their first match against Bournemouth in the early hours of Thursday morning, UK time.
Unfortunately, besides the two teenage goalkeepers, Lucas Nygaard and Tommy Setford, fans won’t see any new faces for the game against the Cherries, as the club have yet to make an outfield signing this summer.
However, the good news is that it appears as if Italian defender Riccard Calafiori could complete his move from Bologna in time to join the tour, and based on recent reports, Edu Gaspar and Co are edging ever closer to finalising another exciting deal for a Euro 2024 star who could be unreal alongside Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from respected journalist Kiki Marin, Arsenal are now “getting closer” to securing the services of Real Sociedad ace Mikel Merino.
Marin does not mention a potential price the Gunners may have to pay for the 28-year-old, but according to a separate report from GIVEMESPORT earlier this month, it is likely to be around £25m.
At this price, signing the Spanish international seems like a no-brainer, as he could be Odegaard’s dream teammate.
Why Merino would be a great teammate for Odegaard
There are two primary reasons why Merino would be such an excellent signing for Arsenal and a great teammate for Odegaard, and the first is his defensive output.
The Gunners played a relatively attacking brand of football at points last season and scored the second-highest amount of goals as evidence of that, but much of their success was built off an imposing defensive unit that conceded the fewest goals in the league, and the Sociedad star could make that even more robust.
For example, according to Squawka, the 28-year-old dynamo won a staggering 326 duels last season, which is an impressive number regardless of context. However, it’s made all the more remarkable considering no other player in Europe’s top seven leagues could even win 300 duels, leaving the Spaniard in a league of his own.
Now imagine if the Gunners’ mercurial captain could focus all his attention on what is happening ahead of him, safe in the knowledge that he has the continent’s preeminent duel winner behind him to snuff out any potential counter-attacks; he’d be free to create to his heart’s content.
However, it’s not just in defence that the 6 foot 2 “monster”, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, could be of use to the Norwegian.
In 45 appearances last season, he scored eight goals and provided five assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 3.46 games, an impressive record for a player starting in central and defensive midfield.
So, if he can be that dangerous for a team that finished sixth in La Liga, imagine what he could do for a side fighting for a Premier League title and in a midfield alongside a player like Odegaard.
