Arsenal dealt blow as Mikel Arteta confirms new signing Mikel Merino has picked up injury
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that Mikel Merino suffered a shoulder injury shortly after his arrival at the Emirates earlier this week. The Spanish midfielder has endured a small fracture.
The Gunners announced their third signing of the summer on Tuesday (27 August), having secured David Raya and Riccardo Calafiori's permanent signature earlier in the window.
Arsenal signed Mikel Merino for a reported £32 million on a four-year contract which includes an option to extend a further year. The Spain international impressed with his performances at the 2024 European Championships, scoring in the quarterfinal win against Germany.
However, the Gunners have suffered an unfortunate setback with their latest signing, who picked up an injury during training on Thursday. Mikel Arteta has confirmed that he will be sidelined for a few weeks, meaning he will miss Arsenal's Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Arteta said (via The Standard):
“Very unfortunate yesterday (Thursday) he had a collision and he has got a shoulder injury unfortunately. It looks like he is going to be out for a few weeks. First session with us. It was looking exciting, we were all very excited, everything was looking very good… he landed on the floor and Gabi went on top of him.
"It looks like he has got a small fracture probably. We have to see (how long he will be out), he was in so much pain, we have to see wait to do some more tests. Then we will have more conclusive answers. This is football.”
The Gunners are third in the Premier League table, level on points with Manchester City in first and Brighton in second.
"He brought a lot of joy and charisma" - Mikel Arteta sends message to departing Arsenal star
Mikel Arteta has sent a message to Aaron Ramsdale, who departs the Emirates this summer in favor of Southampton. The Spaniard expressed his gratitude for Ramsdale's contributions to the club.
The Gunners have sold the England international to Southampton in a reported £25 million package. Ramsdale was keen on an exit this summer in search of more game time.
The 26-year-old, who played a crucial role in Arsenal's title challenge during the 2022-23 campaign, fell down the pecking order after David Raya's arrival on loan last season.
During his pre-match press conference ahead of the Brighton clash, Arteta said (via football.london):
"Thank you so much for what he’s done for the club, for the team and for myself. He brought a lot of joy and charisma and was really good when he joined. He had a situation that was really good for him. He insisted that he’s really joyful when he plays and we tried to arrange that."