Mikel Arteta has been told Arsenal have the ‘best player in the Premier League’ after the Gunners continued their title charge with a routine win over Brentford.
Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after securing a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium.
The win, however, was overshadowed by more injury concerns as both Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera were forced off, adding to existing defensive absences.
Manager Mikel Arteta specifically lauded the performance of Mikel Merino, who scored the opener with a superb header from Ben White’s cross after 11 minutes. Merino has been deployed as a stand-in striker amid an injury crisis.
Arteta told Sky Sports that Merino was “phenomenal” following his performance. “It’s unbelievable what he has done again today, not only the goal because the goal is magnificent,” Arteta said.
“But the movement, the quality, the finish, how he times it…and then his work-rate. It’s phenomenal.”
The goal was Merino’s ninth Premier League goal of the calendar year, a tally no other Arsenal player can match.
Furthermore, since the start of last season, the Spanish midfielder leads the Premier League in headed goals across all competitions with eight.
The manager also addressed the signing of goalkeeper David Raya, stating: “It’s a very difficult question to answer, but he’s certainly one that is taking us to a different level.
He’s certainly a player that has brought something to our way of playing.” Bukayo Saka scored the second goal in second-half stoppage time.