Arteta praises Merino highly as Arsenal runs out of strikers

Coach Mikel Arteta expressed his satisfaction after Merino scored a brace for Arsenal against Slavia Prague.

With Viktor Gyokeres injured, Arsenal had no genuine strikers available for their match against Slavia Prague in the fourth round of the Champions League League Phase. Coach Mikel Arteta was forced to deploy Merino as the central forward, just as he did last season.

Mikel Merino did not disappoint the Spanish manager, netting two goals and playing a key role in Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague. After the match, Mikel Arteta did not hesitate to praise his makeshift striker who shone when the team was struggling:

"It’s great to have Mikel Merino. His versatility on the pitch, what he can do is thanks to his mindset, leadership, and character. We were missing many attacking players, then Merino seized his chance and scored twice.

"Yes, you have to create more options when the squad is short of players. Clearly, Mikel Merino is not naturally a striker in his career. But when the opportunity came, he performed excellently."

Since being deployed as a striker for the first time in his career by Coach Mikel Arteta, Mikel Merino has scored 19 goals for both Arsenal and the Spanish national team in 2025. This highlights Merino’s great potential as a central forward as well as his rare ability to play multiple positions, transitioning from a central midfielder to striker.

In this match, Max Dowman made Champions League history by becoming the youngest player ever to appear on the field at 15 years and 308 days old. Speaking about Max Dowman, Coach Mikel Arteta expressed great pride in his pupil:

"What he did on the pitch, from the very first ball he received, he beat opponents, started dribbling, got fouled. That’s character, that’s bravery, and you can’t teach that. No matter what his passport says about his age, not everyone can do that."