Mikel Merino is Mikel Arteta's new Basque 'machine': How their ...

“Mikel is a beast,” says Kieran Tierney.

The Scotland international is not speaking about his Arsenal manager of the past five years. He is referencing Mikel Arteta’s namesake, Mikel Merino — the player Tierney immediately points to when asked which team-mate impressed the most during his loan spell at Real Sociedad last season, and now Arsenal’s newest player.

“The amount of duels Merino wins, he is like a machine,” says Tierney, speaking while being interviewed by The Athletic in May. “He wins every single header and tackle, no joke. It’s a dying art to be able to leap and win it in the air like he does, but it’s not just that.

“He’s also technically class. He keeps the ball so well in tight spaces and is really composed. He’s a proper all-round midfielder.”

Little did Tierney know then that Merino — who was his biggest help settling in at Real Sociedad due to his impeccable English following a season at Newcastle United earlier in his career — would be the player Arteta handpicked to reconfigure his midfield this summer.

Perhaps he should have seen it coming.

After all, the attribute that stood out for Tierney about Merino most was how similar his mentality is to Arteta’s ‘all-in’ approach. “His professionalism is amazing. Training, gym, recovery, diet, everything is 100 per cent,” he added. “The players from the Basque region seem to be built like that.”

The signing of Merino ends an idiosyncrasy in Arteta’s squad-building: the absence of many of his fellow Spaniards. It is common for managers to recruit players who have been schooled in a similar way of playing. There is often a common understanding of tactical concepts, while a shared language can speed up the adaptation process.

Spanish centre-back Pablo Mari was Arteta’s first acquisition as Arsenal boss, on an initial loan in January 2020. But aside from extending Dani Ceballos’ loan, which was in place when he was appointed, the following summer, Merino is the first outfielder from Spain in 26 signings since.

There is a full-circle element to Arteta, a native of the Antiguo district of San Sebastian, returning to his home city to find the player he hopes will solve the midfield jigsaw.

Merino helps realise the Arsenal manager’s ambition of achieving the perfect blend of Spanish technicality and English power. He is the embodiment of Arteta’s interpretation of Premier League football.

It is what convinced Arteta that Merino was capable of being the glue that binds Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard while connecting the left side of the pitch for Arsenal.

Kai Havertz never clicked in the left No 8 role during his 2023-24 debut season and often seemed on the periphery of the action. Merino may have a similar stature to the German, but he is all-action, a protagonist who is “ready for war”, a battle-hardened mentality aided by that year with Newcastle in 2017-18.

Born in Pamplona, famous for its Running of the Bulls festival, Merino will be Arsenal’s charger-in-chief.

Whenever Real Sociedad had a goal kick, throw-in or free kick in recent seasons, he was the man they aimed for, which helped him win more duels across Europe’s top five leagues last season than any other player. Now, working with set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover, Arsenal will look to exploit that superpower further.

To be able to thrive in Arteta’s world, you have to match his drive and intensity. There are limits to the background checks and character references that clubs can collate before deciding whether a player’s mentality suits their culture.

With Merino, Arteta already had an insight into what type of character he was getting. Both men have been shaped by their distinct Basque upbringing and culture.

‘Palabra de Vasco’ is the phrase Jon Ojanguren, a professor of sports management who also manages the culture, sports, faith and solidarity department at the University of Deusto in San Sebastian, uses to explain what defines the Basque mentality.

“It means, ‘If a Basque person gives you his word that he will do something, he will do it’. You can rely on us,” he says. “For many people here, there is a strong feeling of being a country separate from Spain and (nearby) France. We have our unique language and that sense of belonging to a community extends from your house, family and friends to your job.

“There is a lot of pride. The profile of person here is known for being a hard worker, very task-focused and committed to the cause.

“You see that in the way Arteta is committed to Arsenal like no one else. He is giving everything he has.”

The Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain’s smallest, of which San Sebastian is its capital, has a population of little over 700,000. It produces more elite footballers than it should — nine of Spain’s 26 players as they won Euro 2024 this summer were Basque.

Its most staggering export, though, is top-level football managers. Arteta, Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Julen Lopetegui (West Ham) and Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth) are all from the region and comprise a fifth of the Premier League. Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil, his Athletic Bilbao counterpart Ernesto Valverde, and Pep Guardiola’s mentor and now Manchester City assistant Juanma Lilo are other distinguished names from the area.

Why Basque culture is so conducive to producing leaders is as much a sociological question as it is a sporting one.

“Working for the community was the only way to develop as a society, because of the geography of the area,” Ojanguren says. “It’s shaped by little mountains and valleys, so we didn’t have big cities. We had a lot of small villages spread throughout, where every single house had to produce their own food the whole year.

“Our people could not work independently, they had to work together and fight every day to survive. There is a historical base to the idea as to why we are a little different.”

Jurgen Klopp coined the phrase “mentality monsters”. This was used to define his Liverpool team as they won the Premier League and Champions League.

Arsenal have prioritised size and athleticism in their recent recruitment. Merino is another, like Rice, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, to arrive with the ‘beast’ description.

With the 42-year-old Arteta now retired as a player and no longer able to assert himself in midfield as he used to for clubs including Everton, Arsenal and Scotland’s Rangers, Merino may come to be viewed at the Emirates Stadium and beyond as his on-field energy, a symbol of a team ready to win in any way, shape or form.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

Jordan Campbell is a football writer for The Athletic, who regularly covers Arsenal. In 2024, he was named in the 30 to Watch journalism awards. He previously covered Glasgow Rangers and was twice nominated for Young Journalist of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards. Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanC1107