mikel merino arsenal

There’s a pause, a smile and he begins, memories of St James’ Park. The son of a professional footballer and a basketball player, Merino began at Osasuna, where his dad had played more than 200 games and where he watched Patxi Puñal, Pierre Webó and Savo Milosevic reach a cup final and the Champions League, but departed having led them to promotion back to the first division. In England, I didn’t think much about the ball; it was more about the battle. Sevilla are currently locked in talks with Arsenal over a deal which would see … News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. You could feel it: the players knew. Mikel Merino competes for the ball with Barcelona’s Clément Lenglet last month. “There are moments you’re not happy. Newcastle boss Benitez is hoping to add more of a cutting edge to his side after he consolidated the club's position in the top flight in their first year back at that level. “When you bring together people similar in age, ideology, character, people from within the club with shared values, a way of feeling this land, everyone pulls together. The ex-Newcastle star helped his current team knock Spanish giants Real Madrid out of the Copa Del Rey quarter-finals on Thursday with a surprise 4-3 victory at the Bernabeu. What hurt most about leaving was the fans. “He comes from Spain and he’s effing class. And for Merino, it was a homecoming, just 83km from Pamplona where he was born and raised. Football. Mikel Merino in action for Real Sociedad in the Europa League this season. But we’re delighted to be here now.”. There’s a pause, a smile and he begins, memories of St James’ Park. Mikel Merino celebrates after scoring for Newcastle against Crystal Palace in October 2017. “Well, it’s more boring. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad are both understood to have already registered an interest in taking him back to Spain over the course of the transfer window. And we have a playing style that’s nice for fans and we love and identify with: daring, offensive.”, It starts in the rondo, where one member of the first-team staff says Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal are the “barristers”, challenging everyone and everything. But I don’t regret it: I wanted to leave my comfort zone, take a step forward, see the world, and as a life experience it was enriching.”. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. And we won’t mind playing in Turin. Mikel Merino celebrates after scoring for Newcastle against Crystal Palace in October 2017. And the La Liga side have already started work trying to find a replacement - with Merino appearing to be high on their shopping list. For other inquiries, Contact Us. I wasn’t playing much and had to mature. Spanish club preparing to offload midfielder to the Gunners and are said to be interested in Toon star as his replacement this summer. - Page 3 Arsenal are pursuing a loan deal for Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard, with three crucial factors set to decide whether they will secure him. “… And they thought we might score. Our on-loan midfielder replaced Mikel View our online Press Pack. When he began life in the North-East, Merino gave a series of impressive performances which suggested boss Rafa Benitez had picked up a player who could make a big impact in the Premier League. “Yeah, it is: I’m not going to lie,” Merino says. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mikel Merino is set to undergo a medical before completing a season-long loan with the option to buy. The son of a professional footballer and a basketball player, Merino began at Osasuna, where his dad had played more than 200 games and where he watched Patxi Puñal, Pierre Webó and Savo Milosevic reach a cup final and the Champions League, but departed having led them to promotion back to the first division. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. There’s a pause, a smile and he begins, memories of St James’ Park. But he is unlikely to be handed a huge transfer budget to make the changes, meaning he will have to sell some in order to help build up the coffers. “In football, you never know; you might think they have an advantage but that can change. Former Newcastle midfielder is part of a ‘daring, offensive’ team preparing to face Manchester United in the Europa League, Last modified on Fri 19 Feb 2021 10.19 GMT, Mikel Merino was going into battle but at least he had a song to sing. The Real Sociedad duo have been impressing in La Liga this season and are on the Gunners’ radar ahead of the summer window opening for business in a few months time. Real Sociedad paid his release clause, €12m. Merino fell out of favour with Benitez, who opted to give the likes of Mo Diame, Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden starting roles ahead of him. Sevilla want to sign Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino as replacement for Arsenal target Ever Banega. NEWCASTLE star Mikel Merino is being chased by Sevilla as the potential replace for Ever Banega, it has been claimed. And though age is on his side, and there is confidence in his qualities as a player, it appears Benitez may opt to let the midiflelder leave in order to finance rebuilding other areas of his squad. The move was good for him; his form outstanding, an international call-up followed. Mohamed Salah scores twice as Liverpool sweep Arsenal aside with a dominant performance to maintain their 100% start to the season. ikel Merino was going into battle but at least he had a song to sing. San Sebastián may be the nicest city in Spain, boasting beautiful bays and the most Michelin stars per capita in Europe, and la Real might well play the nicest football. Latest updates and reaction as Spurs sack Jose Mourinho - live updates, European Super League latest - 12 rebel clubs confirm the breakaway format, Tottenham confirm Mourinho sacking with short three-paragraph statement, Man Utd and Arsenal resign from European Club Association amid Super League talk, ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Dani Ceballos came off the bench during Spain's 1-0 defeat against Ukraine. “It’s unique, special, we miss it. Mikel Merino was going into battle but at least he had a song to sing. “An adventure”, he calls it, but it wasn’t always how the midfielder had imagined it. He had just turned 20 when he joined Borussia Dortmund under Thomas Tuchel – “very methodical, with a very clear style” – and 21 when he went to Newcastle. NEWCASTLE star Mikel Merino is being chased by Sevilla as the potential replace for Ever Banega, it has been claimed. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA “In Spain, heading on to the pitch you’re thinking about tactics, positions, the ball –where it has to go and when. Even Silva, from the Canaries, began on loan at Eibar. The Northern Echo say 22-year-old Merino is in Sevilla's sights just a year after he joined Newcastle from Borussia Dortmind. The situation forced that on me. Should the away goals rule be scrapped, then? In England, I didn’t think much about the ball; it was more about the battle. I understand why some can’t adapt. What’s it like without fans? How could they not be? ... since Mikel Merino in March 2018 for Newcastle. I am who I am because of the Premier League: it made me harder, stronger, taught me to take the hits. New Gunners boss Unai Emery knows him well having worked with him while he was in charge of Sevilla before he left to take charge of Paris Saint-Germain. There’s a pause, a smile and he begins, memories of St James’ Park. I was happy but never quite felt 100% in football terms. Mikel Arteta had admitted that it is “very difficult” for Mesut Ozil to break back into his “In Spain, heading on to the pitch you’re thinking about tactics, positions, the ball. Pepe, who became Arsenal's club-record signing this summer, picked up the ball at the halfway line in the sixth minute as the Liverpool defender attempted to close him down. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Arsenal fans have been left raving over the performance of Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino after his display against the Gunners on Saturday. It’s a shame United’s fans couldn’t come to San Sebastián.”. Incredibly, it is the first time Van Dijk has been successfully dribbled past since March 2018 when Mikel Merino did it for Newcastle United. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Newcastle star Mikel Merino is being chased by Spanish side Sevilla, Ever Banega is close to a move from Sevilla to Arsenal - which would then leave the La Liga side free to bid for Merino, Newcastle 1-0 Crystal Palace: Mikel Merino nets dramatic winner for Rafa Benitez’s side as Magpies move up to sixth, All the latest action, news, goals and gossip from the World Cup, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). “He comes from Spain and he’s effing class. 39' Attempt blocked. I remember Rafa [Benítez] telling me to play quickly, one or two touches. It could be the start of a joke; on Thursday, it’s part of Real Sociedad’s lineup: Merino, Adnan Januzaj, David Silva and Nacho Monreal facing an English team for the first time since departing the Premier League. “I was going out thinking about the fight. “The league changes you. It was the perfect place, with a powerful identity that fits his. It could be 70 metres from goal and …” Merino’s eyes open wide. He was only 22, but he had set off early and alone, and needed this. Fifth in La Liga, they have a Copa del Rey final in three weeks. But the Spanish midfielder struggled to maintain that early form as he attempted to come to terms with the pace and demands of the English game. Merino scored Sociedad’s decisive goal fourth goal on the night to make it 4-1 and it was enough to eliminated Madrid … None of it has, he says laughing. There’s less energy, less tension; it’s calmer, more mental, more tactical. Mikel Merino statistics – 24 years_old Real Sociedad Midfielder (Centre). A new football, too. He said if they get to you, they’ll hit you or take the ball.”, Asked who stood out, Merino names Eden Hazard, Philippe Coutinho and Romelu Lukaku: “You couldn’t move him. 40' Mikel Merino (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. But this is another chance to prove we’re a very good team that plays well anywhere and our idea won’t change. “When people ask about the Premier League, I tell them: when I was going to play, I was preparing myself mentally to go to war,” he says. Merino is likely to leave St James' Park this summer following interest from his homeland. Newcastle new-boys outperform their West Ham counterparts as fine Mikel Merino performance highlights resourcefulness of Rafa Benitez. The Guardian - Former Newcastle midfielder is part of a ‘daring, offensive’ team preparing to face Manchester United in the Europa League Mikel Merino was going into battle but at least he had a song to sing. “It’s the game and everything else, seeing another city, coming together. “What I most take with me, the thing I’ll remember when the years pass, is the fans; the way they lived football.”, A former Newcastle, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal player walk into a club. We won’t ever forget our identity.”, Solskjær admits Manchester United need more goals from their forwards. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. In Navarra, they talk about “rasmia”, a will to win, pride, “bad milk”, as Merino calls it: that edge, a competitiveness and toughness that stands apart from much of Spain. Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino: 'I am who I am because of the Premier League'. There’s that competitiveness, too. “It’s a pity there was that [difficult] relationship with the owner, that the supporters were unhappy. 0. NEWCASTLE star Mikel Merino is being chased by Sevilla as the potential replace for Ever Banega, it has been claimed. The away goals rule will still apply, we know that. The pair also worked together at Valencia, and Emery is believed to have highlighted him as a player he could bring in to help improve his squad in North London. “He comes from Spain and he’s effing … Newcastle United goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has been linked with a move to Premier League giants Arsenal. Sevilla are currently locked in talks with Arsenal over a deal which would see … Sevilla are currently locked in talks with Arsenal over a deal which would see the Argentina ace make the move to the Emirates Stadium. “Cruyff said the rondo is the basis of football: it has many of the characteristics of a match, particularly for teams like us, Villarreal, Barcelona, who want the ball: you have to read the defender’s movement, use both feet, control quickly, move it fast, keep it. Commenting is currently disabled on this article. ‘We have a playing style that’s nice for fans and we love,’ he says. But we’re getting used to it; it will be weird when fans return, which hopefully is soon because that’s the most important thing in football.” Real have been denied more than supporters; Turin is their “home” game, and although Juventus’s stadium was chosen from a list of Uefa options because of its similarities to their own revamped arena, that’s a pain. When 50,000 people are watching you receive the ball, it changes how you play. None of it has, he says laughing. And the chance came to go home.”. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. It’s a game on a smaller scale; if you can dominate tight spaces, you can dominate the pitch.”, Some of the fun has gone, though. Join this group and you feel that. But even then Germany was different and England different again. Twenty of Real Sociedad’s squad played for the club at junior level, 17 are Basque, Merino and Monreal are from neighbouring Navarre, which some consider Basque. But the fans were spectacular. The Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah is the most recent prominent footballer to be focused after he was encouraged to leave the club in a bigoted message sent in … Continue Reading. “That’s very important,” Merino says. But the report claims it is Sevilla who could follow through with the first bid should Banega press on with his proposed move to Arsenal. So strong, like something from another sport.”, He recalls Benítez’s “very, very methodical” management. “Football is an excuse for enjoyment,” Merino says. In fact, he’s better than Fàbregas: it’s Merino, la, la, la, Merino.” The lyrics haven’t left him, then. United have very good players and in a moment they can kill you: one minute and the damage is done. We’re very humble, decent, normal people, which helps when defending each other, when you have to say something. The first leg has been moved to Turin because of bans on flights into Spain and there will be no fans. You have a perception of football and you get there and it’s not that: it’s more physical, more direct, the game doesn’t stop, these are men with enormous bodies. “What I most take with me, the thing I’ll remember when the years pass, is the fans; the way they lived football.”. Sometimes people think a footballer is a machine, but I went not knowing how to do anything for myself, and at times you’re lonely. “We talk about it sometimes,” Merino says. Check out his latest detailed stats including goals, assists, strengths & weaknesses and match ratings. According to reports in the national media, Arsenal are lining up a double summer transfer swoop for Mikel Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino. Beginning with central midfield, having assessed a number of options, the players which stand out the most are Real Sociedad’s Mikel There’d be the chance to break and they’d go mad. In fact, he’s better than Fàbregas: it’s Merino, la, la, la, Merino.” The lyrics haven’t left him, then. Argentina ace make the move to the Recap, our weekly email editors., SE1 9GF editors ’ picks at Eibar ' Park this summer following interest from his homeland moment! Going into battle but at least he had a song to sing ball, it how! 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