A draw with ten men aside, this has been a phenomenal little period for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Following an intense week in which they faced Spurs, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, they didn’t lose any of those fixtures. Subsequently, they top the Premier League and Champions League heading into the early stages of December.
They’ve managed to do so all with injuries plaguing the squad again. Ben White and Bukayo Saka were asked after the 2-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday if they have the best squad depth in the league.
White, ever the joker, simply replied, “I dunno.” Well, Ben, we’ll answer it for you. Arsenal’s depth is elite and it could well win them the league.
Andrea Berta worked hard to bolster the squad over the summer and it’s just as well considering the fitness issues that have ravaged Arteta’s team again throughout 2025/26.
At the moment they are missing their senior leaders at the back in Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
Before last week they were also missing all three strikers. Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres are now back in the matchday squad but it means that emergency centre-forward, Mikel Merino, has had to lead the line again. He’s done it superbly well.
Mikel Merino: Arsenal’s elite number 9
Nearly a year ago, all of the chatter as the January transfer window opened was about Arsenal’s need for a new striker.
While Kai Havertz’s importance was being elevated and Jesus had enjoyed a fabulous festive period, scoring that hat-trick against Crystal Palace, there was a sense that for the Gunners to win the league, they needed an elite goalscorer.
Jesus then suffered an ACL injury and Arsenal’s need for a new forward was exacerbated. They did not sign one. What happened next? Havertz suffered a hamstring injury. Of course, he did.
As a result, Arteta sought a solution that was outside of the box. Could Merino become the emergency number 9 that Arsenal craved?
Remarkably, he could. It all started with that brace against Leicester City. The Londoners were struggling to find a goal but the Spaniard appeared from the bench to rescue his side.
Since then, he’s not looked back. He ended 2024/25 with nine goals, scoring against Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool along the way. While we jest, he genuinely looks like an elite striker now.
The arrival of Gyokeres should have ensured Merino was never needed as a striker again but when the Swede hobbled off against Burnley last month, the former Real Sociedad was back in the limelight.
Well, is he now the number one option to lead the line? Quite possibly. Some of Arsenal’s best displays of the season, chiefly those wins over Spurs and Bayern, have come with Merino up top.
While he didn’t net in those contests, he’s knitted the play together beautifully, linking up with teammates and improving Arsenal’s all-around attacking play.
He has still been around the goals, scoring twice in Europe against Slavia Prague, while finding the net in back-to-back Premier League games, the wins over Chelsea and Brentford. Both of those goals were excellent headers.
So, with Gyokeres and Jesus back on the bench, who deserves the role as Arsenal’s leading man?
What Merino’s form means for Gyokeres and Jesus
Arsenal’s big-money summer signing has been electric over the last two campaigns. During 2024/25, Gyokeres bagged 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting but hasn’t hit similar heights after his move back to England.
The Swede has been improving all the time and it was typical that he suffered an injury blow against Burnley, a game he actually scored in.
Gyokeres was beginning to find his feet in the top-flight but it would be a lie if we said Arsenal weren’t a better team at the moment with Merino in it.
So, for the time being, it’s likely the former Coventry City man will have to be patient as he searches for a way back into the side.
The same could be said for £45m man, Jesus, although his time in red and white sadly looks pretty bleak.
The Brazilian has been missing since picking up that ACL injury in the FA Cup 11 months ago and it’s a delight to see him back. Prior to that injury, he was arguably in the form of his Arsenal career, scoring six goals in six games across the festive period.
That injury meant that Arsenal simply had to strengthen in the summer. Gyokeres was a necessity. Jesus has been bumped down the picking order already because of that.
However, the emergence of Merino as a striker and the fact he’s now a genuine option in that position means that Jesus’ Arsenal career looks done.
Havertz is not miles away from returning to the fold and with Merino, Gyokeres and the German all set to battle it out for a place as the central forward, Jesus is unlikely to start another game for the club.
|
Jesus’ injury record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Days out |
Games missed |
|
24/25 |
335 days |
48 |
|
23/24 |
89 days |
17 |
|
22/23 |
100 days |
17 |
|
20/21 |
60 days |
14 |
|
19/20 |
34 days |
5 |
|
18/19 |
26 days |
6 |
|
17/18 |
76 days |
13 |
|
16/17 |
68 days |
15 |
There are plenty of games to comes over the forthcoming weeks but such is the strength of Arsenal’s depth that the former Manchester City striker looks set to pay the ultimate price of leaving the Emirates Stadium.
It’s not the way he or the supporters will have wanted his career in England to end. He’s a cult hero, a joyful player to watch when he’s at his peak. However, Arsenal simply have better options now and options who are in form.
Merino’s impact has only rubbed further salt into the wounds. At the moment, he looks like Arsenal’s best centre-forward. How remarkable is that?
£50m Arsenal star who was becoming the new Zinchenko now looks undroppable
Arsenal’s £50m man has revived his career at the Emirates Stadium this week.
