When it comes to catching Manchester City, Mikel Arteta believes that size matters.
Arsenal have built their most physically-imposing team since the ‘Invincibles’ in a deliberate move that manager Arteta hopes will lead them to the title this season.
Arteta has transformed the physical profile of his squad in recent years. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz were brought in for a combined £170million to add height and strength last summer, while new £42m signing Riccardo Calafiori will add even more aerial power at the back.
The manager wants powerful players who are also blessed with technical skill, and new signing Mikel Merino will add a further level of athleticism.
Arsenal have now completed a move for Merino and the 6ft 2in midfielder, who was in the Spain squad that won Euro 2024, joins as part of a deal worth £31.6m.
If both Calafiori and Merino were added to the starting XI that beat Wolves on the opening day of the season in place of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey, eight Arsenal players would be 6ft or taller.
They have not had such size in their team since players like Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Thierry Henry went unbeaten during the 2003/04 season.
It has been some shift under Arteta, who has targeted players to make Arsenal tough again. In his first game in charge five years ago, more than half of the Arsenal XI were under 6ft.
Pep Guardiola’s City have set a new standard in a modern game that demands strength and skill, but Arsenal are now as powerful as any team in Europe.
“Physicality is something that you need,” Arteta said last season before Arsenal played City in October. “[City] are one of the most powerful teams in the Premier League, that is for sure, and you need to match that up.”
Arteta believes Merino will bring a winners’ mentality and help his side in their bid to dominate opposition midfields. The 28-year-old will most likely operate as a No8, a position he has excelled in for both club and country. Sociedad head coach Imanol Alguacil earlier this month called him the best midfielder in LaLiga.
How Arsenal can walk tall with Merino
David Raya 6ft
Ben White 6ft 1in
Gabriel 6ft 3in
William Saliba 6ft 4in
Riccardo Calafiori 6ft 2in
Declan Rice 6ft 2in
Mikel Merino 6ft 2in
Martin Odegaard 5ft 10in
Bukayo Saka 5ft 10in
Kai Havertz 6ft 4in
Gabriel Martinelli 5ft 10in
Merino won more duels than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last season, while he also ranked first in LaLiga for tackles in the opposition third. He has also earned a reputation for being a monster in the air, both in attack and defence.
No player in LaLiga last season recorded more than his 124 flick-ons, he is good in defensive duels and scored a towering extra-time header for Spain in their dramatic quarter-final win over Germany at Euro 2024.
Merino is no stranger to the Premier League, having spent the 2017-18 season at Newcastle. It was a crucial stage in his development and, aged 21, he likened preparing for matches back then as like going to war. He adapted well to the physicality of English football, thanks largely to his work ethic.
“I love running,” Merino said during his time at Newcastle. “If I finish a match and I’m not exhausted, that means I haven’t given 100 per cent, and that would be wrong.
“You have to go on to the grass and compete, not only have the ball and do tiki-taka, like they say in Spain. If you only think about having the ball, you will not be as good as if you work on all parts of your football.”
Merino has blossomed at Sociedad in the six years since he left Newcastle. His nickname is El Conde (The Count), in recognition of the style to go with his substance. Two seasons ago, he finished with nine assists in LaLiga, and only Antoine Griezmann had more.
Mikel Merino won more duels than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last season
Merino believes he is coming into the peak of his career, which is why he turned down a new contract from Sociedad in favour of a move to Arsenal.
He already knows Gunners captain Martin Odegaard from the Norwegian’s time on loan at Sociedad during the 2019/20 season. They can now reunite at the Emirates Stadium to form a partnership in front of Rice, who looks likely to drop deeper to the base of midfield.
Arsenal already have power and strength all over the team. A back four of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Calafiori are all comfortably over 6ft tall. A midfield three of Rice, Odegaard and Merino would have an average height of more than 6ft, while Havertz is 6ft 4in.
Merino might not be the most high-profile transfer of the summer, but it feels like an astute move by Arsenal in their bid to finally topple City.
