Jamie Carragher believes Mikel Arteta should regard Mikel Merino as Arsenal’s first-choice striker ahead of Viktor Gyokeres.
The Sweden international has scored six goals since joining Arsenal in a £64 million deal from Sporting in the summertime, nevertheless, questions have been raised over the 27-year-old’s technical ability and his effectiveness in key games.
Merino, meanwhile, has deputised as Arsenal’s leading striker in recent weeks as a result of injuries to Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, and has impressed with a run of 4 goals and three assists in seven games.
Gyokeres was handed a start for Arsenal’s last-gasp 2-1 win at home to Wolves last Saturday but Carragher feels Merino should still be leading the attack on current form.
‘Gyokeres has are available in, we have now to be honest, the word on the road before he got here to the Premier League was, ‘we’re undecided whether he’s at the extent of a extremely top European club’, which is what Arsenal are, among the finest teams in Europe,’ Carragher told Sky Sports.
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‘I believe although it’s early in his Arsenal reign, you’ll be able to see where that sentiment was coming from.
‘I actually think it’s going to be tough for Gyokeres to be the first-choice Arsenal striker.
‘Especially when Gabriel Jesus gets on top of things, who I actually think is a greater player than Gyokeres, I believe Gyokeres will rating more goals over season but I believe when it comes to all the things you’d want from a centre-forward, I believe Jesus might be a greater player.
‘Merino, right away, I actually think is first alternative. I do know Gyokeres played on the weekend, I believe that was all the way down to the very fact he’d just come back from injury, he needed a game and it was also Wolves at home.
‘Merino has been unbelievable getting goals in that position, but almost like a false nine. Kai Havertz is nearly one other version of that.
‘You’ve got a little bit of variety there with a extremely good striker, a goalscorer and players who play the false nine position. I actually think they’re going to want all 4 to go on to win the title, I don’t think any of them are the guy who is that this world-class striker Arsenal have been after.’
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