Mikel Merino’s “unbelievable” hat-trick for Spain against Turkey could change how the Arsenal midfielder is viewed by Gooners, expert Charles Watts feels.
Mikel Merino‘s “unbelievable” hat-trick for Spain against Turkey could change how the Arsenal midfielder is viewed by Gooners, expert Charles Watts feels.
The 29-year-old continued his scintillating form for La Roja with a treble in their 6-0 World Cup 2026 qualifying victory over Turkey at the weekend, thus following in the footsteps of a five-time Champions League winner.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente described Merino as one of the best players in the world in his position after his magnificent hat-trick, prior to which he also found the back of the net against Bulgaria and netted goals against the Netherlands and France in the UEFA Nations League finals.
Merino’s glut of goals for Spain this month came after he was ineffective in the Martin Odegaard role in a 1-0 Premier League loss to Liverpool, where his selection over Ethan Nwaneri and Eberechi Eze was seen as a defensive move from Mikel Arteta.
However, speaking to Sports Mole, Watts expressed his view that the Spaniard’s Turkey treble could change his perception, but it is now up to Arteta to get the best out of him further forward, saying: “What a hat-trick. Unbelievable.
“He’s such a good finisher. An interesting player from an Arsenal point of view. The reaction to the Liverpool game; it was all, ‘it was too defensive, the safe option.’ But his goal record what he’s doing for Spain, it’s not really a defensive option, but that’s how he’s perceived.
“He’s uncovered this ability, or Mikel Arteta has, when he took over as a makeshift nine last season. He’s the calmest finisher in the Arsenal squad, I would say. The goals he scored in midweek, against Newcastle in pre-season, against Real Madrid, which was totally forgotten about because of Declan Rice‘s heroics.
Merino could “change perceptions” at Arsenal after Spain hat-trick
“He’s just a really, really useful player. And you’ll go a long way to see a better hat-trick than that. The calmness of the first goal, scoring the way he did with the wrong foot for the second and the third was just absolutely unbelievable. Yes, he was given a lot of space by Turkey, but he still had a lot to do with that finish and he found the top corner.
“The star of the international break for Arsenal, four goals in two games, six in his last six appearances. It’s just remarkable. It’ll be interesting to see if that changes the perception of him in terms of what he can bring to Arsenal.
“How do you get the best out of Merino? He’s seen as a bit of a spoiler, a duel monster. And he is brilliant when it comes to winning duels. But can you get him in those more advanced positions? How do you get him further up the pitch to take advantage of that finishing quality? We’re probably going to have this debate throughout the season.”
Merino memorably filled in as an auxiliary centre-forward during the 2024-25 season while Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz were both sidelined, and the one-time Newcastle United man adapted to the demands of a number nine expertly, scoring nine goals in all competitions.
Merino was on target seven times in the Premier League and twice in the Champions League, where he bagged Arsenal’s final goal in their 3-0 quarter-final first-leg win over Real Madrid before also providing both assists in the 2-1 Bernabeu victory in the return fixture.
However, Merino’s only start this season at Anfield came as a result of Odegaard’s shoulder injury; he was an unused substitute in the 5-0 victory over Leeds United and played just seven minutes of the 1-0 success over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
What is Merino’s true role at Arsenal?
The 29-year-old will not usurp Declan Rice in the left eight role or Viktor Gyokeres in the centre-forward spot when fully fit, and Watts still does not believe that he has truly found his best role in the Gunners’ XI.
“It’s very hard to define his role because I don’t think he’s really found a position yet,” he added. “You’d probably say the left-eight role would be his best, but Declan Rice is in that position.
“Until Havertz comes back, he’s got to be seen as the second choice number nine. He’s not a creator. He’s a finisher, but he’s not a playmaker like Ethan Nwaneri or Martin Odegaard. But when it comes to what he does in the final third, he’s fantastic. There’s not many people in Arsenal who are as good as him when he gets a chance.
“It’s about finding a place for him in the team, not necessarily in the starting 11 all the time, but when he does play, it’s about finding a place where you can really get the best out of him, where he’s not really tasked with being a creator because that’s not his strength.”
As Odegaard is now fully recovered from his shoulder problem, Merino is expected to return to the bench when Arsenal host Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest this Saturday lunchtime in the Premier League.
Watts also delivered the latest information on William Saliba’s ankle injury, warning Gooners to take recent reports from France with a pinch of salt.
> Click here to listen to the full discussion about Merino’s Spain heroics
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