Mikel Merino Praises Arsenal's Midfield After £75m Bruno Guimaraes Signing

Mikel Merino has praised Arsenal for assembling what he believes is the strongest midfield in football following the high-profile signing of Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian midfielder joined the Gunners from Newcastle United this summer in a £75 million deal, strengthening a squad that won the Premier League last season.

Arsenal’s Midfield: A New Benchmark

Merino described the quality and depth in Arsenal's midfield as “unreal,” highlighting the intense competition among players. He said, “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.”

He added that such depth pushes everyone to raise their game. “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.”

Guimaraes Impresses From The Start

Merino praised Guimaraes’ signing, calling him a top-class player who has consistently shown his quality at Newcastle. “Amazing signing. 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.”

Guimaraes made his debut in a preseason match against Como shortly after joining. Manager Mikel Arteta noted the Brazilian's eagerness to play despite only having three training sessions with the team. Arteta told reporters, “He was really pushing to play some minutes today. He wanted to get his debut and the feeling of playing in front of our fans immediately. You sense it immediately. I believe there’s a strong connection at play and that is going to make us better.”

Unwavering Ambition

Despite last season’s title triumph, Merino emphasized that Arsenal’s hunger for success remains strong. He said, “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.”

• Event: Community Shield
• Date: 16 August 2026
• Time: 16:00
• Teams: Arsenal vs Manchester City