Arsenal have agreed a fee to sign Merino, and with personal terms said to be agreed, it may not be long before Merino is an Arsenal player.
Speaking on ESPN, Craig Burley has been discussing Merino and the impact he could have at Arsenal this season.
The pundit reckons that Merino could actually enhance Declan Rice as a player, claiming that Merino’s defensive ability could allow Rice more freedom to drive forward and really flex his attacking abilities.
Mikel Merino could unlock Declan Rice
Burley shared his verdict on Merino to Arsenal.
“Well, I think Mikel Merino can do a little bit of both. I think he is more of an all-round midfielder, as is somewhat Declan Rice,” Burley said.
“People have him pigeon-holed as a defensive but he can and we saw last year when Jorginho came into the side or at times Thomas Partey came in, it freed Declan Rice to go and be more supportive to Martin Odegaard. And I think Mikel Merino can do that.”
Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Real Sociedad and SL Be...
Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
How Mikel Arteta will use Declan Rice this season
This is an interesting verdict from Burley, and it does fit into what we have heard about Rice previously.
“He sees him as a man who can complement Declan Rice well, I said this week that Declan Rice could play two roles this season as a six and an eight, and that comes down to Merino coming through and that is now coming through,” Jones said.
Rice could be a real attacking threat this season once Merino has signed, and that could add a brand new dynamic to this Arsenal team.
Merino could be a very exciting addition to what is already a brilliant Arsenal team.
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