Mikel Merino believes Arsenal 'probably' possess the best midfield in football following Bruno Guimaraes' £75m transfer from Newcastle United. The Premier League champions secured the Brazil international on a four-year deal after a lengthy pursuit.
Guimaraes bolsters star-studded midfield
Guimaraes joins an Arsenal midfield that already includes captain Martin Odegaard, England internationals Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, and World Cup winner Merino. The Gunners are aiming to retain their league title and challenge for the Champions League after losing to PSG in the final in May.
Guimaraes made his first appearance for Arsenal in Wednesday's pre-season draw with Cesc Fabregas' Como.
Merino: 'Amazing signing'
'Amazing signing,' Merino said when asked about the Newcastle star swapping St James' Park for the Emirates Stadium. 'He has proved throughout these years how good he is at Newcastle. And he showed it today again. A lot of composure, technical ability, a lot of defensive effort as well.'
'So it's a very good signing. A top player, but we have many of those in this team. So everyone that comes to help the team is welcome.'
'Unreal' quality and hunger
Asked about the strength of Arsenal's midfield, Merino added: 'Honestly, it's unreal. Probably the best midfield in football. The amount of quality that we have there, with every player that can come on the pitch and make a good shift. It's great.'
'That's good for the team. That's good for the squad. It raises everyone's level because if you have a bad day, the one that is close to you is going to do a great job.'
'I think we have an amazing squad. The hunger is still there. Not because we won it last season, we're going to be happy with it. We want more and more and more and we want every trophy possible. That's the best quality of this team. Not only the amount of depth that we have, the quality that we have in every position, but that hunger.'
Shearer agrees
Premier League legend Alan Shearer also believes Arsenal boast arguably the best midfield on the planet following the deal. 'Arsenal are signing a top-quality player in Bruno Guimaraes,' the Newcastle hero told Betfair. 'There's no doubt about that. They're signing a player who's so comfortable on the ball under pressure, who can make that killer pass. He's got a great attitude, too, we've seen that at Newcastle.'
'So, there's no doubt he'll improve them. I think with the likes of Rice, Odegaard and Bruno, there won't be many better midfields out there.'
Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence with a home match against newly-promoted Coventry City a week on Friday.
