After five and a bit years in the Arsenal dugout, Mikel Arteta undoubtedly has the squad to challenge for everything this season.

The defensive unit is arguably the best in the world, and the frontline has been bolstered by Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and the emergence of Max Dowman.

Last but not least, the midfield looks as strong as ever, with Mikel Merino grabbing the headlines on international duty over the weekend.

Yet, as impressive as the Spaniard was for his national team and the impact he had last season, Arteta may eventually overlook him for another super talent in the squad.

Why Merino should have more of a role at Arsenal

Following something of a protracted transfer saga, Merino finally made his way to Arsenal from Real Sociedad last summer, only to fracture his shoulder in his first training session and miss the first two months of the season.

Following this setback, it would be fair to say that he didn’t exactly set the world alight during his first few months playing for the club, but that all changed in the new year.

With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus ruled out for the season and Bukayo Saka recovering from hamstring surgery, the Gunners’ frontline was looking perilously thin, so Arteta gambled and decided to start the Spaniard up top.

His hand may have been forced somewhat, but it was still a tactical masterstroke, as the 6 foot 2 titan went on to score another seven goals, taking his tally for the season to nine, with five assists for good measure.

With only 77 minutes of club action this season, 70 of which were away to Liverpool, the Pamplona-born monster hasn’t really had the opportunity to remind the English fans how effective he can be in the final third.

However, that has not been the case on international duty, as he scored the third goal in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria on Thursday and then blew everyone away on Sunday by scoring a hat-trick against Turkey.

What is even more impressive is that the former Sociedad star was playing in midfield for both games, suggesting that with a run of games for Arsenal, he could be a major source of goals from the middle of the park.

However, timing is everything in football, and Merino could see his long-term Arsenal career stifled by one of the club’s most exciting emerging talents.

Why Merino's role may shrink at Arsenal

Unfortunately for Merino, despite looking utterly unplayable on international duty, his place in this Arsenal team is far from a sure thing.

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There are the obvious challengers, like Rice and Zubimendi, but even if he plays in a more offensive role, as he does with Spain, he could see himself usurped by a certain Ethan Nwaneri.

Yes, even though the Hale Ender hasn’t seen any gametime this season, we can see a world in which Arteta continues to look to him as the first midfield change from the bench and as someone to start some of the less important games.

It would be easy to understand the manager’s thought process as well, as when he got minutes last season, the teenage sensation was often able to have a tangible impact on games.

For example, the versatile gem, whom Arteta claimed is a “bit like Wilshere,” played 1378 minutes of senior first team football, in which he managed to rack up a tally of nine goals and two assists.

In other words, despite being just 17 years old for most of the campaign, the academy superstar was able to average a goal involvement every 125.27 minutes.

Moreover, he isn’t just getting lucky either, as his underlying numbers help to show he is as good, if not better than, the hype around him suggests.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 5% for total carrying distance, the top 7% for crosses into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

On top of having the output and the underlying numbers, the Enfield-born gem also has the narrative as being an academy product; fans view him as one of their own and will therefore always want to see more of him.

+0.31

Top 1%

+0.31

Top 1%

59.0%

Top 1%

3.53

Top 2%

91.8%

Top 4%

284.28

Top 5%

0.69

Top 7%

0.46

Top 10%

32.41

Top 12%

0.46

Top 14%

5.30

Top 14%

134.54

Top 15%

Ultimately, Merino once again showed us all that he has the potential to be an attacking force from the middle of the park for Arsenal.

However, following his performances last season and the desire from fans to see him play, the Spaniard may eventually lose out to Nwaneri.