Arsenal star named 3rd slowest player in Premier League | OneFootball

Mikel Merino may be thriving in his new role leading the line for Arsenal, but his name now appears on an unwanted list.

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Mikel Merino has adapted impressively since his mid-season positional shift, stepping into the striker’s role at Arsenal after Kai Havertz was ruled out for the season in February with a hamstring injury that required surgery.

He has responded with four goals and an assist in his last six appearances for club and country in the Premier League, Champions League and UEFA Nations League, scoring at approximately double the rate he managed during his time at Real Sociedad and Osasuna.

Yet, despite his clinical form, Merino has now found himself atop a list few footballers aspire to lead.

According to Opta data published by the Manchester Evening News, the 28-year-old was named the third slowest player in the Premier League this season, clocking a top speed of just 29.8 km/h.

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Only Craig Dawson of Wolves (29.6 km/h) and Bernardo Silva of Manchester City (29.4 km/h) ranked lower in terms of peak speed, with Silva earning the unenviable distinction of being the slowest player in the division this season.

While pace has never been the Spaniard’s defining attribute, his intelligent movement and timing have enabled Mikel Arteta to preserve structural balance in a side that demands fluidity across the entire pitch.

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Merino’s capacity to operate with his back to goal, link midfield lines, and exploit defensive gaps with well-timed arrivals in the box has proven increasingly influential as Arsenal push on with an injury-ravaged season.

His goal in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Fulham, via a deflected strike, was emblematic of both his form and fortune in recent weeks and his lack of speed doesn’t look like slowing him down anytime soon.