Mikel Merino has admitted that life on the Arsenal bench is hard to accept, but the Spain midfielder made it clear on international duty that he is not about to start complaining, or pushing for a way out.
Merino sat alongside Spain boss Luis de la Fuente at a press conference before Thursday’s game against the Czech Republic. Most of the questions were about his role as Spain’s super-sub, the man who scored against Germany in the Euro 2024 quarter-final. But reporters also asked about Arsenal, where he and his close friend Martin Zubimendi are both fighting for minutes.
His answer was calm, honest and very much on message.
What did Mikel Merino say about his Arsenal minutes?
Merino did not pretend the situation is ideal. “The context is different. Both Martin and I know the situation at Arsenal. For me it is the best club in the world, with a very deep squad, and it is very difficult to get minutes. But I am watching to see if things can change,” he said.
Asked whether he would like to start more, he smiled. “Of course, what player wouldn’t like that? But I feel valued, and my team-mates do too. I am not going to complain about a coach’s decision, but everyone wants to be important.”
The numbers explain why the question keeps coming up. Merino played 1,027 minutes in 22 league games last season. This season he has 518 minutes in 15 matches, and only 203 of those have come in 10 Premier League appearances.
The coach’s son who understands the bench
The most interesting part of his answer was about his father, Miguel, who was a player and a coach. Merino admitted that growing up with that perspective has shaped how he deals with being a substitute.
“It is difficult to take that on board because we are competitive and we think about football individually. Having a father who was a coach makes me see football in another way, and his job is very complex,” he said.
“With how physical this sport is, with five substitutions… many times, and as Luis repeats, those who finish the matches are the ones who win championships. And that convinces you more.”
He also took the praise for his impact off the bench in good spirit. “I take it as something positive. It does not only count in one context. Being congratulated is always positive, even if I come on from the bench,” he said.
Is Merino leaving Arsenal for Atletico Madrid?
Not on this evidence. Reports in Spain earlier this month claimed Atletico Madrid want to sign the 30-year-old in January, with the suggestion that he might push for a move to play more regularly. Nothing he said in Spain’s camp points that way.
He is also the third Arsenal player in two days to play down exit talk. Zubimendi shut down the Atletico rumours on Wednesday and said he hopes to stay until the end of the season, and Viktor Gyokeres said he wants to stay despite the January talk around him. Atletico’s interest in Zubimendi had already gone public, with their players openly praising Arsenal’s midfielder.
For the former Newcastle United midfielder, the message to Mikel Arteta is a familiar one: he wants to play, but he will do his talking in training.
On Spain’s record unbeaten run, he kept it simple. “We have not talked about it at all during this break. We take it naturally, we know it is important. Records are there to be judged in the future, but in the present we only think about the next match.”
Merino’s patience is exactly what Arteta needs
This is the kind of answer every manager wants from a squad player. Merino is not hiding the frustration, and he shouldn’t. A player of his quality wanting more than 203 Premier League minutes is a good sign, not a problem.
But the line about who finishes matches is the key one. Arsenal’s depth is the reason he isn’t starting, and it is also the reason they are where they are. With five substitutions, the players coming on in the last half-hour decide titles, and Merino has built a career on being exactly that man for Spain.
If Atletico want him in January, they will need more than a promise of minutes. Right now, he sounds like a player who wants to win his place back at the Emirates, not leave it.
