£45m star will never start for Arsenal again

The draw with ten men aside, it was a great period for us Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal.

After an intense week in which they faced Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, they did not lose any of those games. And then they top Premier League The Champions League is heading to the early stages of December.

They have managed to do this with injuries once again plaguing the team. Ben White and Bukayo Saka were asked after the 2-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday whether they had the best line-up in the league.

“I don’t know,” Wyatt, always the joker, answered simply. Okay, Ben, we’ll answer you. Arsenal’s depth is elite and could win them the league.

Andrea Berta has worked hard to strengthen the squad over the summer and he is also taking into account the fitness issues that have once again ravaged Arteta’s squad throughout the 2025/26 season.

At the moment, they are missing their top leaders in the defensive line Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.

Before last week they were also missing all three strikers. Gabriel Jesus Victor Gyukiris has now returned to the matchday squad but this means the emergency centre-forward, Mikel Merinohe had to lead the line again. He did it wonderfully.

Mikel Merino: Arsenal’s elite No.9

For nearly a year, all the talk as the January transfer window opened was about Arsenal needing a new striker.

While Kai Havertz’s importance was rising and Jesus was enjoying a wonderful period of celebration and scoring goals Which After the hat-trick against Crystal Palace, there was a feeling that for the Gunners to win the league, they needed an elite goalscorer.

Jesus then suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and Arsenal’s need for a new striker worsened. They didn’t sign a single one. What happened next? Havertz suffered a hamstring injury. Of course he did.

As a result, Arteta sought an outside-the-box solution. Could Merino become the emergency number 9 Arsenal have been craving?

It is remarkable that he can do this. It all started with that brace against Leicester City. The London team was struggling to score the goal, but the Spaniard appeared from the bench to save his team.

Since then, he hasn’t looked back. He finished the 2024/25 season with nine goals, scoring against Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool. While we’re kidding, he really does look like an elite striker now.

Gyukiris’ arrival was supposed to ensure Merino would never be needed as a striker again, but when the Swede faltered against Burnley last month, the former Real Sociedad player was back in the spotlight.

Well, is he now the first choice to lead the line? Very likely. Some of Arsenal’s best performances this season, especially those wins over Tottenham and Bayern, have come with Merino up front.

Although he did not score in those competitions, he linked the play together beautifully, connected with his teammates and improved Arsenal’s all-round attacking play.

He’s still been around for goals, scoring twice in Europe against Slavia Prague, while also finding the back of the net in back-to-back Premier League matches, wins over Chelsea and Brentford. Both goals were excellent headers.

So, with Gyukiris and Jesus back on the bench, who deserves the role of Arsenal’s captain?

What does the Merino shape mean for Jewkeris and Jesus

Arsenal’s big-money summer signing has been impressive over the past two seasons. During the 2024/25 season, Gyukiris scored 54 goals in 52 appearances for Sporting but did not reach similar levels after returning to England.

The Swede has been improving all the time and it was not uncommon for him to suffer an injury blow against Burnley, a game in which he actually scored.

Gyokeris is starting to find his feet in the top flight but it would be a lie if we said Arsenal aren’t a better team at the moment with Merino in it.

So, for now, the former Coventry City man will likely have to be patient as he searches for his way back into the team.

The same can be said for £45m man Jesus, although his time in red and white unfortunately looks very bleak.

The Brazilian has been out since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the FA Cup 11 months ago, and I’m glad to see him back. Before that injury, he was arguably in the best form of his Arsenal career, scoring six goals in six games over the festive period.

This injury meant that Arsenal simply had to strengthen their squad in the summer. Geocress was a necessity. Jesus’ pick order was actually dropped because of that.

However, Merino’s emergence as a striker and the fact that he is now a real option in that position means that Jesus’ Arsenal career appears to be over.

Havertz is not miles away from returning to the team, and with Merino, Geukeris and the German set to compete for a place as a central striker, Jesus is unlikely to start another game for the club.

There are plenty of games to come over the coming weeks, but such is the strength of Arsenal’s depth that the former Manchester City striker looks set to pay the ultimate price to leave the Emirates Stadium.

This is not how he or his supporters wanted his career in England to end. He’s a cult hero, a fun player to watch when he’s at his peak. However, Arsenal simply have better options now and options in good form.

The Merino effect has resulted in more salt being rubbed into the wounds. Right now, he looks like Arsenal’s best striker. How cool is that?

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