SportsZone explain that Mikel Merino and Arsenal have reached a contractual agreement for the next 4 years: the Spanish midfielder has been indicated by Arteta as a priority target for the midfield despite not falling within the Gunners’ policy of investing in Under-24 players.
Next step: finding an agreement with Real Sociedad. The price asked by the Spaniards will be decisive, Arsenal does not want to pay a high price precisely because of the aforementioned policy, but Arteta insists because he considers him an ideal reinforcement for the team, which has no replacement for Xhaka.
These are the words of Riccardo Calafiori, the Gunners’ latest signing: “I spoke for almost two months with the coach and Edu. They tried to convince me, but I was already very convinced to come here. For me it’s the best project I could have as a player. There were other clubs, but I don’t care anymore, I’m here and I want to improve to win trophies… The team is young and strong and I like that. Now that I’m here, I know I have to go forward day by day, improving with the team. When I’m really fit, I’ll be excited to help Arsenal, I hope. I have this great feeling. I can’t explain it. But you’ll definitely see on the pitch that it was the right choice. Central defender or full-back? We haven’t talked much about the role, I just want to play and improve. It’s a question of the team, of what needs we have. I can play in different positions, I don’t care, I just want to play”.