9/10 Arsenal star just proved why Mikel Merino won’t be an instant starter

Well, as pre-season games go, you can’t ask for much more than that.

Arsenal played host to German champions Bayer Leverkusen this evening, and while Xabi Alonso’s side proved their metal in the Bundesliga last season, they completely fell apart at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta’s side were 2-0 up within ten minutes, three up by halftime and ended the game as 4-1 winners with a host of academy graduates representing the club, including the tremendously exciting Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.

However, another slightly older star stole the show for the Gunners, and based on his performance this evening and across the preseason as a whole, he could prove to be a surprise rival for Mikel Merino next season, who still appears to be on his way to the Emirates at some point this summer.

The latest on Mikel Merino to Arsenal

Now, of all the transfer sagas this summer, Merino’s has potentially been one of the most bizarre, as, despite the move never really feeling in doubt, it’s also felt like not very much has actually happened.

However, according to a report from Football Insider earlier today, progress is being made to bring the 28-year-old to North London, with the Gunners firm favourites to land his signature ahead of Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.

A price is not mentioned in the Football Insider’s report, but previous stories have claimed that around £25m should be enough to get the deal over the line.

The Sociedad ace might not have been the most recognisable of names to Premier League fans prior to his links with the Gunners, but he’s become an instrumental player for the Basque outfit in recent years and, per Squawka, was the only player in Europe’s top seven leagues last season to win over 300 duels, clocking up a staggering 326.

It’s clear that Arteta sees the 6 foot 2 titan as the perfect candidate to play in the left eight role next season, breaking up play and contributing in attack at times.However, based on tonight’s match, he might have a real battle on his hands from someone in the squad.

Why Havertz could be a rival for Merino

Yes, the player who could prove to be a rival for that left-eight role next season is Kai Havertz, who was magnificent this evening.

This would be a surprise development, as in the latter half of last season, Arteta began starting the German international as the team’s go-to number nine, and for all the criticism he received at the start of the campaign, he took to the positional change like a duck to water.

By the end of the season, he had started 18 games as a striker, in which he had scored eight goals and provided seven assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.2 games as the nine.

This newfound effectiveness at the sharp end of the pitch led to many fans believing this would be his regular position in the team going forward.

However, several times this pre-season, including tonight, he has started in the left eight position, and to his credit, he’s played well.

For example, the Standard’s Simon Collings awarded the 25-year-old a 9/10 for his display, and considering he picked up two assists in the first half before scoring a goal himself in the second half, it would be hard to disagree.

Moreover, in his 71 minutes of action, he also took 26 touches, blocked a shot, produced a big chance, played two key passes and made a tackle.

Ultimately, whether Arteta continues to start the former Chelsea ace in midfield come the first game of the season remains to be seen, but he’s shown over the summer, particularly tonight, that he can play well there, and, considering his 6 foot 4 stature, he does add more physicality to the middle of the park.

Therefore, when he eventually arrives at the Emirates this summer, Merino may well face more competition than he initially expected for a place in the middle of the park.