Arsenal have spent over £1 billion in new players under Mikel Arteta, but a £31.6m star is being named as the most underrated signing in the Premier League over recent times.
Arsenal enjoyed another productive summer window that saw Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi arrive at the Emirates, pushing the club’s spending under Mikel Arteta to over £1 billion.
The new arrivals have helped Arsenal make a sensational start to the season, with Arteta’s side sitting top of the Premier League and joint-top in the Champions League.
Ex-Premier League midfielder Paul Dickov has been impressed by Arsenal’s transfer business and has singled out the signing of Mikel Merino as a particularly shrewd piece of work.
A midfielder by trade, Merino did a superb job filling in up front during Arsenal’s injury crisis last season, scoring nine goals, and has already added three more this term.
Merino also boasts a surprisingly impressive record for Spain, scoring ten goals for his country—including eight since the start of 2025.
“I think Mikel Merino has been the most underrated signing of recent years,” Dickov told BestBettingBonuses.
“I think you’ve got to look at how he came in as a midfielder how he transformed himself into a center-forward last year when Arsenal had the injuries that they did.”
“I like him; he’s a really good player, and I do think he is underrated. He’s a player that chips in with goals when needed. He doesn’t mind putting his foot in.”
“When he plays up top, he puts himself about and causes problems, and I think he’s been a really good signing.”
“Sometimes players like that go under the radar a little bit when you’re making big signings, especially this season at Arsenal with Gyokeres and Eze; they’re easier on the eye and more flattering because of the price tag and where they’ve come from.”
“But I’m pretty sure that his teammates and especially Mikel Arteta and his staff know how important he is and probably realize the value that Mikel’s got in him.”
Another recent Arsenal signing, Gyökeres, has had a mixed start to his Premier League career following a £64m move from Sporting.
Gyökeres found the net three times in three games before the international break, having previously gone nine matches without scoring.
“If he stays fit, he can bang them in,’ Dickov said of Gyokeres, whom Manchester United also wanted to sign last summer”.
“They always say the golden number for a forward at any level, whether that’s the Premier League, the Championship, anywhere, is 20 goals. That’s the target.”
“If he can stay fit, with the talent he’s got alongside him, with Eze, Saka, Trossard, and Martinelli, with Declan Rice in midfield, I don’t see any reason why he can’t score 20 a season.”
While Arsenal holds a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League, a challenging run of fixtures until December will put Arteta’s side, aiming for their first league title since 2004, to the test.
The Gunners resume Premier League action with a north London derby against Tottenham before taking on Bayern Munich in the Champions League and London rivals Chelsea.
When asked if Arsenal’s next three games are their biggest of the season so far, Dickov replied, “Yeah, I would say so.”
“Last week people were talking about Liverpool, with the Aston Villa game, with the Real Madrid game, and with the Manchester City game, that it could be a defining week for them.”
“City were playing a Bournemouth team that was second in the league at the time, and then Borussia Dortmund, who was playing really well, and then Liverpool.”
“So there are big weeks coming up. But that’s a big, big week for Arsenal in the north London derby and then against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich, who blew PSG away the other week.”
“Then it’s Chelsea away, which is tough, as Chelsea are hitting a bit of form again.”
“So it’s going to be a huge week for Arsenal, but yet again, it’s still only November. People will already be talking about Arsenal blowing it again, and I don’t buy into that.”
“I think they have too much quality and strength and depth this season for anything to be decided in November, regardless of how many points they get out of the games next week.”
