Merino reveals he laughed off social media striker rumours — until Arsenal's coaches confirmed the plan

Mikel Merino first discovered he was about to play as a centre-forward for Arsenal the same way most fans did — scrolling through social media and laughing it off as speculation. The Spanish midfielder, signed for £31 million from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2024 following Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, has since become one of Mikel Arteta’s most versatile tactical options at the Emirates.

“I read on social media that I was going to be played as a striker in the next game against Leicester,” Merino told FourFourTwo. “I was honestly just laughing, like, ‘How can people say this crap?’ I’d never played there and genuinely wasn’t expecting to. But then, before the game, one of the Arsenal coaches came up to me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve come up with this option of you playing up top — it’s not that you’re going to be a striker, you’re going to be like a midfielder but playing furthest forward, so don’t think too much about being a proper striker.’”

The situation arose out of necessity during a warm-weather training camp in Dubai in February of last year, when Arsenal were hit by injuries and left with limited options up front. Merino came off the bench with 20 minutes remaining, scored twice, and what started as an emergency measure gradually became a recurring tactical choice.

“That’s how it happened. I came into the game with 20 minutes left, we needed a goal and I scored two. The rest is history,” he said.

Merino is candid about both the limitations and the logic behind his effectiveness in the role. “I think I’ve got the characteristics to be a good striker,” he explains. “I’m not the quickest to threaten defenders with pace in behind, but I’m smart enough to know where I have to be positioned in the penalty area. It’s about reading the little clues — I judge those quickly and make my move.”

The 28-year-old has been effusive in his praise for Arteta’s ability to expand his tactical horizons. “The gaffer is special in terms of the way he communicates his ideas, his passion,” Merino said. “It’s been an amazing two seasons here. I’ve learned a lot from Mikel. He’s opened new doors for me in terms of tactics.”

Arsenal recruited Merino as one of the final pieces of a title-winning puzzle, valued primarily for his technical quality, game intelligence and ability to control matches from midfield. His reinvention as an occasional striker was never part of the plan — but it has become one of the more unexpected stories of his time in north London.