Mikel Arteta is a satisfied man after Arsenal completed the signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad for a transfer fee that could rise up to £31.64 million.
The Gunners had been chasing the Spain midfielder ever since he helped La Roja win Euro 2024 by beating England in the final in Berlin.
The 28-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the option for an additional year, while Arsenal will reportedly pay La Real an initial £27.42m plus £4.22m in add-ons.
Merino is the north London outfit’s fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Tommy Setford and Riccardo Calafiori. David Raya joined permanently following his loan move from Brentford last year.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta comments on Mikel Merino transfer:
“Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility,” Arteta said. “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.”
Arsenal sporting director Edu echoed those sentiments when commenting on the transfer. “We are so happy to have completed the transfer of Mikel Merino,” the Brazilian said.
“This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer.
“Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season. With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead.
“We welcome Mikel and his family to the club, and look forward to seeing him play in the Arsenal shirt.”
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