Mikel Merino has completed his £33million transfer to Arsenal from Real Sociedad.

The 28-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year deal at the Emirates and will wear the No 23 shirt during his time in north London.

Merino was part of the Spain side that triumphed at Euro 2024 and featured in every game of the tournament as Luis de la Fuente's side defeated England in the final last month.

Speaking after the deal was confirmed, Mikel Arteta hailed his new signing's versatility and technical ability.

'Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility,' Arteta said.

Mikel Merino is officially an Arsenal player after his move from Real Sociedad was confirmed

'He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.

'As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament. We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can’t wait to start working with him.'

Arsenal sporting director Edu added: 'We are so happy to have completed the transfer of Mikel Merino.

'This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer.

'Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season. 

'With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead.

'We welcome Mikel and his family to the club, and look forward to seeing him play in the Arsenal shirt.'

In a video shared on the Gunners' social media channels, Merino could be seen introducing himself to his new team-mates.

Read More

Football is littered with the wrecks of wonderkids, but it's no surprise Martin Odegaard rose again

'Thank you all for the warm welcome,' he said. 'I'm very happy to be here with all of you.

'I'm just excited for this season, hopefully we can keep doing big things as you guys have been doing. Just thank you.'

After beginning his career with Osasuna, Merino had a brief stint at Borussia Dortmund before joining Newcastle in 2017.

The Spaniard's loan deal was eventually made permanent, but his spell in the North East would prove short-lived as he returned to Spain the following year.

Upon arrival at Real Sociedad Merino quickly became a key player as they won the Copa del Rey in 2019-20, ending their 34-year trophy drought in the process.

His performances at the Anoeta Stadium were sufficiently impressive that Merino earned his first senior call-up for Spain in 2020.

In all, he made 242 appearances for the club, scoring 27 goals.

The deal marks Arsenal's second new arrival of the summer as the Gunners once again look to challenge Manchester City's domestic supremacy this season.

David Raya made his loan move from Brentford permanent in July, before Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori joined from Bologna for £42m later that same month.

Arteta's men have enjoyed a perfect start to the current campaign with two wins from two.