Mikel Arteta defends ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal star after Jamie Carragher criticism
Mikel Arteta defends ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal star after Jamie Carragher criticism
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has defended his £32m signing Mikel Merino following criticism from Jamie Carragher. Merino signed a four-year deal with the Gunners after completing a big-money move from La Liga side Real Sociedad last summer. The 28-year-old has started just a third of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season and Carragher recently questioned Arteta’s move for the Spaniard.
![[Arsenal FC Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD8]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2196384113.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Writing in a column for The Telegraph earlier this month, Carragher said: ‘Prioritising signing midfielder Mikel Merino ahead of another attacker last summer looks like a mistake. Merino is not a game-changer.’. Carragher also questioned Arsenal’s £32m deal on a recent episode of The Overlap, saying: ‘I look at the business you did in the summer and the midfielder who came in, I wasn’t quite sure why or where he would fit in or play.’.
![[Arsenal FC v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2175935161.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
But Arteta believes Merino has been showing some ‘very good’ signs in recent weeks and says the midfielder has been ‘quite unfortunate’ with injuries since arriving at the Emirates Stadium. Merino missed Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday but returned to training earlier this week ahead a huge Premier League clash with Manchester City this weekend.
‘He’s been quite unfortunate, to be honest,’ Arteta said at his pre-Champions League press conference on Tuesday evening. ‘But Mikel’s character is unbelievable. ‘He’s so determined and now he has some rhythm, some momentum and has had some very good moments in the last few weeks with us.
