Carragher Has Changed His Mind About Arsenal Player Following Recent Form

Jamie Carragher has revealed the one player who’s completely won him over, despite once insisting Arsenal never should’ve signed him in the first place. The Gunners breezed to a 4-0 win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Sunday afternoon, delaying Liverpool’s Premier League title celebrations for at least a few more days.

The Reds remain 13 points clear at the summit of English football and now need just three points from their final five games to officially clinch their 20th crown. As for Arsenal, they’ll feel that injuries have been their kryptonite this season, derailing what might’ve once been considered their best shot at a first league title in two decades. A third straight podium finish looks likely- but once again, no silverware to show for their consistency.

Still, every storm brings a silver lining. With Mikel Arteta’s attack taking the brunt of the injury crisis, fringe players were handed the mantle, and some have taken their chance with both hands. Since arriving in north London last summer, Mikel Merino has gone from questioned signing to unsung hero, silencing many of his early critics – Carragher included.

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Arsenal spent a little over £30m to sign the Spanish midfielder from Real Sociedad and Carragher was among those to question his arrival. “Prioritising signing midfielder Mikel Merino ahead of another attacker last summer looks like a mistake,” he said at the time. “Merino is not a game-changer.”

The pessimistic comments were largely fair early into his tenure, and several months had passed by without the Euro 2024 winner doing little more than fill a space on the teamsheet. But when the north Londoners started to heed a growing injury list, Merino stepped up in a big way.

Losing Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to injury forced Arteta to play the central midfielder as a makeshift striker. In his last 14 games, he has six goals and five assists, and he was instrumental in them reaching the Champions League semi-finals with two assists against Real Madrid. Carragher has certainly been made to eat his words, as he told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s fixture, as per Metro:

Now drawing comparisons to David Silva in some quarters, Merino is shaping up to be Arsenal’s standout signing of the season. That said, the Gunners are still expected to be in the market for a new No. 9 once the season wraps up, with Stan Kroenke and co. keeping an eye on Alexander Isak.

Even so, Merino’s resurgence has likely earned him a role in Arteta’s plans moving forward, even if that may be from midfield once his star forwards return from injury.