Merino's striker numbers top both Havertz and Gyokeres

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Kai Havertz's hamstring injury has opened the door for Mikel Merino to be deployed as an emergency centre-forward for a third consecutive season — and the numbers he has produced in the role stand up against Arsenal's recognised strikers.

The Spaniard arrived from Real Sociedad as a central midfielder. He has since become one of the more unusual success stories of the Mikel Arteta era, repeatedly pushed into the number nine role whenever Arsenal's forward line has thinned out.

How it started at Leicester

The experiment began in 2024/25, when injuries to both Havertz and Gabriel Jesus left Arteta short. At Leicester City, with the game goalless and Leandro Trossard initially leading the line, Merino came on in the 69th minute for Raheem Sterling and was pushed up top. He scored twice.

"Arteta told me I was going to come in as a striker," Merino told TNT Sports afterwards. "We were talking this morning about it with one of the assistants, and honestly, it was a surprise."

He added: "It's the first time in my career I've played in that position. But he told me to go as a striker, make sure I go with my strengths. Luckily, I could help the team with two goals."

Starts against West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United brought less joy, with Arsenal failing to win any of the three. But Merino scored and assisted in the 7-goal away win at PSV Eindhoven, then found the net against Chelsea and Fulham before the Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid. He scored Arsenal's third in the 3-0 home win and set up both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in the second leg.

The 2025/26 repeat

With Viktor Gyokeres arriving and Havertz recovering, a repeat looked unlikely. Then Havertz suffered a knee injury on the opening day in a challenge from Manuel Ugarte that required surgery and ruled him out for half the season. When Gyokeres was then injured at Burnley, Merino was thrown forward again.

He scored twice at Slavia Praha, assisted at Sunderland and at home to Spurs, scored at Stamford Bridge in the 1-1 draw, and both scored and assisted in the 2-0 win over Brentford. The run ended at Aston Villa, where a flat first-half display saw Gyokeres reintroduced at the break in a 2-1 defeat.

The numbers

According to football.london, Merino has 10 goals and six assists across 23 appearances in the role — a goal contribution rate of 0.7 per appearance, ahead of Havertz (0.62) and Gyokeres (0.41). On goals alone, Merino sits at 0.43 per appearance, with Havertz on 0.42 and Gyokeres on 0.35.

Spain have taken note too, with Luis de la Fuente using Merino in advanced areas alongside Mikel Oyarzabal on international duty.

With Havertz now facing a spell on the sidelines, Arteta's selection calls in the final third will be watched closely over the coming weeks.