God Of football

Chapter 363: Arsenal’s Newest Man [Pistacho031_3]]

Days before Arsenalʼs preseason clash against Bournemouth, Mikel Arteta sat in front of the press, his expression calm but focused.

The training groundʼs media room was packed, cameras flashing as journalists prepared their questions.

”Alright, weʼll get started,” the press officer said. ”First question.”

A reporter from Sky Sports raised his hand. ”Mikel, Arsenalʼs preseason started with a 5-3 win over Leyton Orient. A lot of young players featured—what did you take away from that match?”

Arteta nodded. ”First, it was a great test for the younger players. We saw a lot of good moments, but also areas where we need to improve.

Preseason is about refining our structure and making sure everyone understands their roles. So, yes, we conceded three goals, but the response in the second half was excellent.”

A journalist from The Athletic leaned forward. ”You face Bournemouth next. A tougher test. Will we see a stronger lineup?”

Arteta smiled slightly. ”Every game is an opportunity to prepare for the season. Bournemouth will be a different challenge, and we will make some changes.

We want players to build fitness, work on our tactical ideas, and keep improving.”

Immediately after, the next question came. ”Will Izan play?”

The room fell quiet, all eyes on Arteta.

He took a brief pause, then answered, ”Weʼll see. Heʼs working well in training. Of course, heʼs an important player, but we are managing everyoneʼs workload carefully. We have a long season ahead.”

A follow-up question came quickly. ”Physically, is he ready?”

Arteta smiled again. ”Izan is young. He recovers quickly. But we have a plan for him, just like we do for every player.”

A few reporters exchanged glances. The answer wasnʼt a yes, but it wasnʼt a no either.

A BBC Sport journalist spoke next. ”Mikel, you mentioned squad rotation. With some players still returning from injury, do you feel you have enough depth?”

Arteta nodded. ”Yes. We have a fantastic squad. We also have young players stepping up. Competition is high, and thatʼs what we want.”

”Any more signings expected?”

Arteta chuckled. ”You know I wonʼt answer that.”

Laughter rippled through the room.

The press officer glanced at her watch and then spoke, ”Last question.”

A journalist from ESPN leaned forward. ”Final one—whatʼs the main focus for the Bournemouth match?”

Arteta didnʼt hesitate. ”Control. We want to dictate the game. That means intensity, structure, and being clinical when we get chances. We will also try new things for that game that could better our season.”

The press officer stepped in. ”Thatʼs all for today. Thank you, Mikel.”

Arteta stood, nodding toward the room before heading out.

...…..

It seemed like an answer to one of the preseason and It started with a teaser.

Arsenalʼs official account posted a cryptic image—a silhouette of a player standing in front of the Emirates, the caption reading:

”This one took some work… but heʼs finally home.”

Fans flooded the replies instantly.

”ITʼS MERINO. IT HAS TO BE.”

”I swear if this is another contract extension post…”

”Bro took the long route but welcome, king.”

Then, five minutes later, the official confirmation dropped.

”Mikel Merino is a Gunner! Welcome to Arsenal, @MikelMerino!”

A well-produced video followed, showcasing Merinoʼs journey from his early days in Spain, clips of him dominating midfield at Real Sociedad, and finally, him wearing the Arsenal shirt for the first time.

The final shot? Merino standing inside the Emirates, smiling as he held up his new number.

Arsenal fans exploded with excitement online.

”Our midfield is cooking this season.”

”Izan, Rice, Merino, Ødegaard—nah, weʼre winning something.”

”Madrid, City, Bayern… yʼall are finished.”

Some rival fans, of course, had their own takes.

”All this hype for Merino?? Heʼs decent but relax.”

”Arsenal spent the whole summer haggling just to sign a Sociedad player lol.”

”Even Izan was signed more easily than Merino. And the former was supposed to be difficult to sign.

But for the Arsenal faithful, none of that mattered. They finally got their man.

...….

By the time Merino stepped into Arsenalʼs training ground, the morning session had wrapped up.

Some players were in the cafeteria, others in recovery. But as soon as word spread, the atmosphere shifted.

Izan was in the gym when he spotted a small crowd forming near the entrance.

A few moments later, Merino walked in, accompanied by staff members who were showing him around.

Izan grinned and made his way over.

”So you finally made it, huh?”

Merino turned, instantly recognizing his Spanish teammate from the Euros, and his face lit up.

”Took a bit longer than expected, didnʼt it?” he replied, shaking hands with Izan before pulling him into a quick hug.

”A bit? Man, we were wondering if you were ever going to show up,” Izan joked.

”Welcome, though. Youʼre going to love it here. Just be ready to run, Arteta doesnʼt play.”

Merino chuckled. ”I figured. Guess Iʼll need you to show me around then.”

Other players started coming over to greet him. Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice, and Jorginho were the first to welcome him properly, while Ben white, as always gave him a quiet nod of approval.

Arteta soon joined them, shaking Merinoʼs hand.

”Took us long enough, huh?” the manager said with a smirk.

”Guess that means I have to make up for lost time,” Merino responded.

Arteta nodded. ”Youʼll get your chance soon. Get settled in first. But donʼt get too comfortable—Bournemouth is in two days.”

Izan patted Merinoʼs shoulder. ”Hope youʼre ready. Preseason has been a ride.”

Merino grinned. ”Canʼt wait.”

...…..

Merino wasted no time getting settled at London Colney.

After the brief introductions, he was ushered into the performance room for his baseline fitness tests while the rest of the squad went about their recovery sessions.

Izan, meanwhile, hung around the gym with some of the others, occasionally glancing at the training ground where staff were setting up for the afternoon session.

The buzz around Merinoʼs arrival hadnʼt died down yet.

Declan Rice and Jorginho were already discussing how Merino would fit into midfield, with Rice casually remarking that they now had ”too many left-footers,” which made everyone laugh.

But the real conversations were happening online.

Arsenal Twitter was in chaos—not unusual, but still amusing.

”Rice, Ødegaard, Merino, Havertz, Partey, Jorginho, and Izan on the attacking side of midfield… man, Arteta has a selection headache.”

”Merino is a baller but what does this mean for Havertz? Or Partey??”

”Merinoʼs here, now letʼs announce a striker and call it a perfect window.”

The Rival fans on the other hand werenʼt as kind.

”Thatʼs another Europa League signing right there.”

”Arsenal out here hoarding midfielders like itʼs FM.”

”Still no UCL, still no Prem. Whatʼs new?”

Izan scrolled through some of the takes, smirking at the overreactions.

He was no stranger to social media buzz, but he also knew that once the season began, opinions would shift.

It always came down to performances.

⸻

Back at Conley, Arteta was back in his element, running the squad through tactical drills for the Bournemouth preseason match in two days.

The atmosphere was serious—preseason or not, the expectations were clear.

Merino joined the group for a light session, mostly integrating into positional play exercises, but even then, it was obvious he wasnʼt here to play catch-up.

His ball control was smooth, his decision-making sharp, and despite not being fully in sync with the team yet, he slotted in effortlessly during quick passing drills.

Izan, positioned just ahead of him in some of the patterns, caught his eye after a particularly slick sequence.

”Not bad for your first day, huh?”

Merino smirked. ”They said Arteta runs you guys into the ground, but this is decent so far.”

Jorginho, passing by, laughed. ”Give it time. Youʼll be begging for a water break soon.”

And sure enough, after an intense final sequence, the squad was panting and drenched in sweat as Arteta finally blew the whistle.

”Good work. Keep this intensity for Bournemouth. Itʼs about refining details now, not just fitness.”

The players nodded, hands on their hips as they caught their breath.

Izan could feel the difference in intensity compared to the earlier friendlies—things were getting serious.

Arteta clapped his hands once more.

”Ice baths, recovery, then get some rest. Tomorrow, we fine-tune.”

After training, the squad gathered in the recovery room, a mix of players submerged in ice baths and others stretched out on the physio tables.

Merino had already fit right in, sitting near Declan and Calafiori as they casually talked about the Euros.

Izan, meanwhile, was checking his phone again, seeing a new message pop up in the squadʼs group chat.

Saka: ”Izan, you dodged another preseason game? Fraud watch.”

Martinelli: ”Heʼs resting for the real matches. Tactical player.”

Izan: ”Yʼall werenʼt saying this when we were 3-0 down to Leyton.”

Laughter erupted in the room as some of the guys saw the messages.

Merino, scrolling through his phone, raised an eyebrow at Izan.

”3-0 down? That actually happened?”

Izan groaned. ”Donʼt ask. We fixed it.”

Merino chuckled. ”Preseasonʼs wild, man. Canʼt wait to see what Bournemouth brings.”

Izan leaned back, feeling the exhaustion settle in. Bournemouth was in two days. The season was getting closer.

A/n: Damn. I want to be done with this so bad but I canʼt just skip-, Waittttt a minute. I can.