Arsenal‘s Mikel Merino admits that not playing regularly isn’t ideal, however, he wants to continue with the Premier League winners. 

The Spain international hasn’t enjoyed a starting role regularly under Mikel Arteta since the start of last season. He finished the previous season with 1,027 minutes in 22 league matches.

This season, the Arsenal star played 518 minutes in 15 matches, and 203 were from 10 Premier League appearances.

Merino wants Arsenal stay 

Earlier this month, Sport Witness covered a report from Spain explaining that Atlético Madrid want to sign him in January. There was a suggestion that the midfielder could push for a move to enjoy regular minutes.

Besides Mikel Merino, Martín Zubimendi and Viktor Gyökeres, haven’t enjoyed regular minutes this season. The latter two played 100 and 181 minutes in seven Premier League matches respectively.

On Wednesday, Zubimendi dismissed reports he’s close to joining Atlético Madrid and said he will finish this season at the Emirates. Later that day, the Sweden international striker said he wants to stay at Arsenal.

Mikel Merino, who is now with Spain, spoke to local reporters, and Estadio Deportivo have relayed his comments. The 30-year-old addressed the possibility of both him and Zubimendi leaving if their playing time doesn’t improve.

“Not being on the pitch most of the time isn’t ideal for a player. Arsenal is currently the best team in the world, and it’s very difficult to get minutes. Now, we know what our roles are, and we’re both calm and eager to keep training hard to show that we can continue to be there,” he said.

Lucky to play under Arsenal manager 

The former Newcastle United man admits that his situation at the north London club isn’t ideal. Despite this, he aims to continue at Arsenal to play under Mikel Arteta.

“Of course. What player wouldn’t like to have more minutes? If anyone is lucky to have this manager, it’s me. You’ll never hear me complain about a manager’s decision, but what I want is to play,” Mikel Merino explained.

His father, Ángel Miguel Merino, was also a professional footballer and a coach. Speaking to the latter gives the Gunners midfielder a different perspective to accept the secondary role.

“It’s difficult to internalise that. We’re selfish in many cases and see football from an individual perspective,” he concluded.

“But the fact that my father was a coach makes me see football differently. Those who finish the matches are the ones who win the championships. It’s often difficult to convince ourselves.”

Sport Witness analysis of Merino’s declining game time

MIKEL MERINO Arsenal · Declining Premier League minutes

2026/27: 10 league appearances  |
1 start  |
9 substitute appearances  |
202 minutes

Season	Apps	Starts	Sub apps	Minutes	Minutes per app	Starts as % of apps
2024/25	28	17	11	1,581	56.5	60.7%
2025/26	22	10	12	1,028	46.7	45.5%
2026/27*	10	1	9	202	20.2	10.0%

THE CHANGE IN HIS ROLE

Compared with last season	Premier League minutes per appearance have fallen by 56.8%, from 46.7 to 20.2.
Compared with his debut season	Premier League minutes per appearance have fallen by 64.2%, from 56.5 to 20.2.
Current league usage	Nine of his ten appearances have come from the bench.
European role	Three starts in four Champions League appearances this season, totalling 225 minutes.
All competitions this season	15 appearances, five starts and 517 minutes.

Scope: Main table covers Premier League appearances for Arsenal. *2026/27 figures are season to date; the previous two seasons are complete.
Method: Minutes per appearance = minutes played ÷ appearances. Starts as a percentage of appearances = starts ÷ appearances. Percentage declines are calculated using unrounded averages; displayed figures are rounded to one decimal place.
Context: Raw season totals cover different numbers of matches, so the comparison focuses on minutes per appearance and starting frequency. These figures describe his usage when he plays; they do not isolate the effects of injuries, availability or selection decisions.
Updated: 12 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS