Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has delivered disappointing news for Gunners fans, revealing that new signing Mikel Merino will be unavailable for several weeks due to a shoulder injury. The midfielder, who arrived from La Liga side Real Sociedad on a long-term contract just this Tuesday, suffered the injury during a training session this week.
Arteta, speaking to reporters on Friday, described the incident as “very unfortunate.” He explained that Merino sustained the injury after a collision with teammate Gabriel Magalhaes, resulting in a suspected small fracture. “He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him, and it looks like he has a small fracture probably,” said Arteta. “We have to see. He was in so much pain. We’ll have to do some more tests on that and then we’ll have more conclusive answers.”
Merino’s absence will be a blow for Arsenal as they prepare to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Brighton have made a strong start to the season with two consecutive wins, a challenge Arteta acknowledges. “We try to prepare like every manager and every team does by giving them the exact and relevant information that can help to win the game,” Arteta stated. “We have tried to do the same for tomorrow against a team that is doing really well. It’s one of the teams with a new coach and a new regime. It’s going to be a tough match.”
Despite the setback with Merino, Arteta remains optimistic about the strength of his squad as the transfer window draws to a close. “I’m always happy with the squad. I think we have tremendous players, a magnificent group of human beings,” Arteta said. “We always want to be better and we cannot deny that. The most important thing is to try to improve our own players and then in terms of the numbers and quality.”
