Midfielder, Mikel Merino has joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad for £31.3m.
Merino’s move came after a solid summer for the midfielder in which he scored Spain’s Quarter-Final winner against Germany, en-route to the UEFA Euro 2024 title.
After weeks of negotiations, Real Sociedad accepted a total fee of £31.3m, consisting of an initial £27.1m fee plus £4.2m in add-ons.
Merino has signed a four-year contract until June 2028 with option for a further year, and will wear the number 23 shirt.
Teasing fans as to what they can expect from him, Merino quietly vowed to try and fight for every ball in each match that he plays in.
“I want to fight for every ball and this is something that I learnt when I was really young. Maybe you can win it, or you won’t. I’m not promising I will win every duel, but what I can promise is that I will fight for every ball with 100 per cent.
“It’s always tough to talk about myself in those kinds of terms, but I think I’m a hard worker, I want to call myself a good teammate. I like to work for the team with or without the ball.
“I’m always thinking about the collective aspect of the game. I like to play with the ball, I have a Spanish culture of football.”
Merino also is wary of how different the Premier League will be compared to La Liga but is wisely eager to give the competition a try.
“I think it will be massive, because of how tough this league is if you come as a new player,” commented the Spaniard. “Maybe you don’t realise it until you try it. But right now I have the idea of how this league is and how tough every game is.
“Obviously talking with teammates, or ex-teammates who are here, I know how high the standard is right now.
“You have to win every single game. I have a little idea of the stadiums, the teams, the atmosphere you are about to expect, it’s always an advantage.”
“I wouldn’t move to a club that are not aligned with my desires,” concluded Merino who is keen to help his boyhood club achieve trophies.
“What I want is to grow, to win, to fulfil my dreams and I think this club has the same mentality. This is something I value a lot. I value a lot the work they put in every single day.”
Manager, Mikel Arteta explained that Merino will bring plenty of tactical option with “experience and versatility.”
“He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.
“As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament. We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can’t wait to start working with him.”
Merino began his career at Amigo before he went on to join Osasuna, where he came through their academy and managed eight goals in 68 senior appearances.
He then spent 2016-17 season at Borussia Dortmund which saw him make just nine appearances, and he was loaned out to Newcastle United the next season which yielded one goal and assist despite the move having became a permanent transfer.
Real Sociedad however signed Merino in July 2018 and the Spaniard has now left with 27 goals in 242 appearances, during which he helped them to 2019-20 Copa del Rey title.
Merino represents Spain at international level where he has two goals in 28 senior caps and was part of this summer’s Euro success, having previously helped them to Under 19s and U21s Euro titles in 2015 and 2019 respectively.