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When will Mikel Merino officially be considered a 'striker who sometimes plays as a midfielder'? His match-winning goal against Brentford was another reminder that he's making this role his own, as if he was always a natural centre-forward.
The 29-year-old has recorded an attacking return in five of his six starts up front for Arsenal since being deployed there again due to Victor Osimhen's injury. He scored the opener with a header against Brentford and then assisted Bukayo Saka's second.
"He was immense again today," Mikel Arteta said with a smile, praising Merino's instinctive centre-forward movement for his opening goal.
"The way he scored was very intelligent. The timing, the way he occupied the space, the finish. It was perfect."
Since the start of last season, Merino's 14 headed goals are the most of any Premier League player across all competitions.
And all of this from a central midfielder who had never played as a striker before last season until Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring injury.
Learning on the job and this level are different. Merino has completely mastered the position and the statistics back it up.
This year alone, Merino has scored an incredible 21 goals for club and country. His transformation into a goal-scoring centre-forward is not only benefiting Arsenal but also Spain, where he has become a key attacking figure for both teams.
Arsenal have Osimhen and Gabriel Jesus back and available, and Kai Havertz is also returning soon. However, it will not be easy for any of the three to displace Merino. His value goes beyond just goals. As Arteta says, "He makes the team so much better."
Since his move to the front line at the beginning of last month, Arsenal have scored 15 goals in six games. This is an increase from an average of 2.1 goals per game to 2.5 goals per game, and it includes their best attacking performances of the season against Tottenham and Bayern Munich. Merino has directly scored or created almost half of the team's goals during this period.
Of course, he is a different type of striker to a 'typical No 9' like Osimhen.
When he is not finding goalscoring opportunities inside the box, he drops into midfield, swaps positions with teammates, creates space and confuses opposition defenders.
In four starts as a striker in the Premier League this season, Merino has half the number of touches inside the opposition box per 90 minutes as Osimhen, but almost double the total touches and passes. This indicates how organically he links up the attack.
Arteta also highlighted his work rate when he doesn't have the ball. Merino has been playing an immense workload, starting eight consecutive games for club and country in the last month. However, judging by his performance in Wednesday's game, there was no sign of fatigue.
Arteta said: "I remember one moment when he made a penetration pass to Martin, and Martin didn't go for it. Then he ran 40 metres at full speed to chase the ball to the corner flag."
"And he won it back. He is everywhere. He is on a great run right now."
Merino made four tackles in the match. According to Premier League tracking data, he covered more than 12km, the second-highest of any player on the pitch after Odegaard. He also recorded 368 high-intensity sprints, the most of any player in the game.
His tireless work rate is no surprise. In his last four Premier League games, Merino has not only recorded the most attacking returns of any Arsenal player, but he has also made 10 tackles in total, the second-highest of any player on the team behind left-back Ricardo Domingos.
Merino's overall contribution to the team, both with and without the ball, is exceptional, and he has another important strength. Arteta added:
"As I said in the press conference, his biggest strength is curiosity. The willingness to learn, and probably to help the team."
"He knew from the start of the season that we had big problems. Osimhen was out, Kai was out, Gabriel Jesus was out. So we needed solutions, and he did that role incredibly well last season."
"This year, he has probably taken that role to another level because he can do more things. The team is very grateful to him, and he is enjoying the role."
Arteta feels Merino's success can be a 'lesson' for other players. It has been a learning experience for him too.
He worried in the summer transfer window about 'having too many strikers', but now, thanks to Merino, he has been spared from a 'striker crisis'.
"I learned from that experience too. I was thinking all summer: 'If we bring in a new No 9, what happens to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz?' I really like both players, so I had all sorts of concerns."
"'What do we have to do? How do we manage this situation?' But in the end, it has not been a problem so far. It has happened because they got injured."
"So the conclusion is: 'Focus on the present, and deal with the situation when it arises.' That's it."
Merino has embodied that principle perfectly. What started as a temporary striker has now become perhaps Arsenal's best option up front.
Osimhen, Jesus and Havertz will all face fierce competition to regain their starting places.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13479085/mikel-merino-immense-in-match-winning-display-against-brentford-so-is-he-now-arsenals-best-striker
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"Everyone's impressed with Merino's midfield-striker hybrid role, praising Arteta's tactics and Merino's all-around game. Some even say he's wasted as a midfielder!"
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