Arsenal are preparing a bid to develop world-class Merino in a blockbuster transfer deal

Compared to recent years, this summer has not been very busy for Arsenal.

As things stand, the only new face Mikel Arteta has welcomed into the first team has been Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, although that could change in the coming weeks.

For example, it looks like the incredibly drawn-out saga surrounding Mikel Merino's proposed move to North London may be coming to an end, and while he is an extremely talented player, he could still be in for a real fight to get into the team. the first group.

This is because recent reports have revealed that Edu Gaspar and Co are on the lookout for another central midfielder, and this player is someone Arsenal's faithful will be familiar with.

Arsenal transfer news

According to the latest report from insider TeamNewsAndTix via Caught Offside, Arsenal have renewed their interest in Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes this summer.

The report claims that Arteta's side are 'preparing to make a blockbuster offer' for the Brazilian, which includes cash and out-of-favour goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

There is no word on how much the Gunners intend to offer, but according to the report, there is a feeling in North London that the Toon are “not out of the woods yet financially.”

It may be difficult and ultimately more expensive to sign the former Lyon ace this summer, but if Arsenal have a real chance to sign him, they should take it, or it could affect Merino's potential minutes.

How does Guimaraes compare to Merino

So, with Martin Odegaard firmly established as the Gunners' starting ten and Declan Rice admitting last season that six is ​​”his best position,” Merino and Guimaraes will have to compete with each other for the role on the left, which they have shown they can do. both play – even if the Brazilian has spent more time in the defensive midfield throughout his career.

Now, before we look at their base numbers, let's compare their raw output. Although they will not be expected to contribute to the team's goals, everything will help in the fight against defeating City next season.

In this metric, the “world-class” Toon ace, as talent scout Jacek Kulig named him, emerges victorious. In 50 games for the Magpies last season, he scored seven goals and provided ten assists, equating to a goal involvement ratio of 2.94.

In contrast, the Sociedad ace has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 45 appearances, and while that's still impressive, it equates to a worse rate of goal involvement every game at 3.46.

OK, so while it's clear that the former Lyon ace is more of a goal threat than the Spaniard, who has better numbers underneath?

Unfortunately for the winner of Euro 2024, his potential competition also comes out looking better, and very much so.

In all the most important metrics, the Rio de Janeiro-born star excels, including non-penalty goals and assists, non-penalty goals and assists, continuous and carried passes, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy, key passes, shooting and goal-creating actions, blocks, interceptions and successful takeovers, all at 90.

In his defence, the Pamplona-born ace is miles ahead in winning aerial games and outperforms in a few other defensive metrics, such as tackles won, blocks and 90 rebounds, but that's about it.

Ultimately, while Merino looks like he will be a quality addition to Arsenal's midfield this summer and particularly useful in his ability to win duels, he is well behind Guimaraes when it comes to his overall game. So, if Edu and Co have a real chance to sign the Brazilian in the coming weeks, they should take it.