Published: 02:00, 8 November 2025 | Updated: 02:00, 8 November 2025

For most Premier League managers, a frontline shorn of six attackers would spell an identity crisis.

That includes Mikel Arteta, last season. But not any more.

Once again, the player fixing his problems up front is Mikel Merino — the all-purpose problem-solver who has become Arsenal’s Swiss Army knife.

From February onwards last season, Merino was played at No9 out of desperation, as there were no other viable options up top following injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. Havertz’s severe hamstring injury on a mid-season trip to Dubai was particularly punishing, coming days after Arsenal had decided not to bring in reinforcements in January.

Nine months later, Havertz is sidelined again, Jesus is still working his way back, and the £64million solution signed to avoid such a scenario, Viktor Gyokeres, is also injured.

So here we are again, with Merino the only option left to Arteta. But this is a different animal to the one we saw last season.

Once again, the player fixing Mikel Arteta's problems up front is Mikel...