Arsenal’s £28m Star Proves He’s Becoming Their Modern-day Giroud

Bukayo Saka made a triumphant return for Arsenal in their 2-1 victory over Fulham, scoring just 7 minutes after coming on as a substitute. His reappearance after a 3-month injury layoff provides a huge boost for the Gunners ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

However, the standout performer was Arsenal’s makeshift striker Mikel Merino. The £28m summer signing has admirably filled in up front amid injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, scoring 5 goals in 8 games as the central forward.

Merino’s awkward but effective style is drawing comparisons to former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud. Like the Frenchman, Merino may not be the most elegant technically, but he’s proving to be an underrated asset with his ability to score important goals and link up play.

Against Fulham, Merino opened the scoring and completed 88% of his passes in a strong all-around display. While his long-term future likely lies in midfield, the Spaniard is admirably stepping up when Arsenal need him most in attack.

With Saka back and Merino finding his form up front, Arsenal suddenly have reasons for optimism as they look to salvage their season in the Champions League knockout stages.