I can’t wait to see Mikel Merino get his Arsenal debut at Bournemouth today

Mikel Merino is the player I would be most excited to see start against Bournemouth. The case is that the Spaniard must prove himself to secure a place in the Arsenal lineup, but wouldn’t it be more prudent for him to start against Bournemouth?

By doing so, he would continue to build on the momentum he has gained since his appearances against PSG (27 minutes), Southampton (30 minutes), Denmark (29 minutes), and Serbia (64 minutes), following his return from injury.

In those appearances, the Spaniard has undoubtedly demonstrated his ability to enhance a team’s defence and overall performance. In just 27 minutes against PSG, he achieved the second-highest number of successful tackles. In the match against Southampton, he was second best in successful tackles in just 30 minutes and led in blocked shots.

Mikel Arteta and his technical bench should give Merino the chance to start against Bournemouth. If he does, he will have a clearer understanding of what he can contribute from Arsenal’s LCM by the time they face Liverpool.

With Rice capable of playing as an RCM for England, I can’t help but feel that even if the Spaniard starts, we can still have a strong midfield trio of Partey, Rice, and Merino, which could pose a challenge to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.