Mikel Merino picks out 'amazing' Arsenal star who demanded he made £32m move

Arsenal’s new signing Merino has opened up about his international team-mate David Raya’s persistent enquiries regarding his transfer to North London.

Spanish goalkeeper Raya, who became Arsenal’s first summer signing after finalising a permanent switch following his loan sloan stint from Brentford, was soon followed through the door by Riccardo Calafiori in a £42m deal from Bologna.

Merino has now become the latest addition, with his transfer from Real Sociedad reaching a possible £32m with add-ons.

Merino, who previously played for Newcastle United, will don the 23 jersey for the Gunners, the same number he wore at St James’ Park. He bid farewell to the Magpies for La Real back in 2018, where he spent the last six years before joining Arsenal.

During his stay at Sociedad, he became part of the Spain set-up and he netted a pivotal goal in the quarter-final clash against Germany at Euro 2024. During the tournament, he had plenty of chats with Raya, and Merino has revealed what was being said: “Obviously when the rumours started he [Raya] was always asking me, ‘What’s going on? Am I going to see you next year with us?!’,” he said to club media.

“We have a good relationship and obviously won the Euros together so I’m extremely happy to have him here. I think he will be a big help for me to adapt to this new life. He is an amazing team-mate.”

Mikel Merino reminisced fondly about playing alongside Martin Odegaard at Real Sociedad in the 2019-20 season, stating: “It was amazing sharing the pitch with him back in the day. I have a lot of good memories of our connection and hopefully we can have an even better connection here.”

Arsenal’s sporting director Edu has hailed Merino as a seamless fit for the squad, while Arteta himself has praised the player’s exceptional quality and experience.

“Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility,” Arteta said. “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.”