Mikel Arteta thinks signing a new £30m star will help Arsenal dominate sides

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is sure that signing the £30 million player will help the Gunners completely beat the sides in one key area.

Arsenal set up a race for a third successive title with Man City

Expectations are high that Arteta's side will be in a hotly contested third-placed Premier League race with Man City, who have broken the north London side for the past two seasons.

Arsenal came very close to beating City last season, pushing them to the last minute, but Pep Guardiola's men dominated again – becoming the first Premier League side to win four titles in a row.

The last side to usurp City's domestic title was Liverpool in 2020, and Arteta will be looking to break that record this season. The Spaniard is believed to be aiming for 90-plus points this campaign (Miguel Delaney), after racking up 89 last term, but they will need energy to do it.

So far in this summer transfer window, and with only a few days to go, Edu Gaspar and he brought in Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna and snapped up David Raya in a permanent £27 million deal from Brentford, preparing self defense.

However, there are reports that Arsenal could be looking to sign a striker before deadline day, not to mention a replacement for goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in Espanyol's Joan Garcia.

Their first target for a midfielder, however, is Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.

Arteta thinks signing Merino will help Arsenal dominate sides

There are suggestions that Merino has agreed personal terms to join Arsenal, and a deal is believed to be very close to being finalized after weeks of negotiations.

“Let me tell you again here guys, don't worry Arsenal fans, Merino is coming and he is coming soon,” says Fabrizio Romano in the latest Merino update.

“They are working out the final details of the deal, but Mikel Merino is expected to be a new Arsenal player in the final days of the summer transfer window.”

The 28-year-old would be a great addition to Edu and his team-mates, as he impressed for Sociedad last season and helped Spain win the Euros in Germany. Merino scored eight goals and assisted five in 45 games last season, but the Arsenal manager wants him for an important reason.

According to Standard Sport and journalist Simon Collings, Arteta believes that signing Merino will help Arsenal completely dominate the sides, with the 6-metre midfielder boasting impressive physique and work rate.

Collings writes that Merino is worth around £30 million too, given that he is in the final season of his contract and could leave on a free next year. This looks like a real bargain opportunity for the North Londoners, and one that Arteta is personally willing to get over the line.