Arsenal Fans Argue Mikel Merino Is Better Than Viktor Gyokeres After Perfect Hat-Trick for Spain

Mikel Merino has given Mikel Arteta food for thought after scoring a perfect hat-trick for Spain – with Arsenal fans now debating whether the midfielder should be leading the line ahead of big-money signing Viktor Gyokeres.

Merino, 29, struck with his left foot, right foot and head as Spain demolished Turkey 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday. It capped off a memorable week for the midfielder, who had already been on target three days earlier in a 3-0 win away at Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, Gyokeres failed to record a single shot on target for Sweden in a 2-2 draw with Slovenia last Friday, although he did provide an assist.

Viktor Gyokeres’ slow start at Arsenal

Arsenal invested £55 million plus £8.5m in add-ons to sign Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon this summer, but the early signs have been mixed.

He failed to muster a shot in his Premier League debut at Old Trafford, before scoring twice against Leeds in his first outing at the Emirates despite just 24 touches across the 90 minutes.

But in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Gyokeres was again ineffective, registering 18 touches and no attempts on goal. That form carried over into international duty, where he struggled to make an impact for Sweden.

Mikel Merino: Emergency striker

Merino has featured in two of Arsenal’s three league games so far this season, though he is yet to complete a full 90 minutes.

Both of those outings have come in midfield but he is well known for his versatility. Last season, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz both sidelined, Arteta turned to Merino as an emergency striker.

The Spaniard delivered a respectable return, finishing the campaign with nine goals from 44 appearances, even though fewer than half of those came as a striker.

Now, with Jesus and Havertz out injured once again, Merino appears to be next in line behind Gyokeres in Arsenal’s pecking order up front.

Arsenal fans urge Mikel Arteta to drop Gyokeres for Merino

Merino’s stunning hat-trick for Spain has led to calls from some fans for him to leapfrog Gyokeres as Arsenal’s main striker.

One Gunners supporter wrote on social media: “I’ve seen enough. Bench Gyokeres and play Merino striker”.

A similar message read: “Merino might be a better striker than Gyokeres”.

Another fan warned: “Mikel Merino hat-trick, Gyokeres you’ve got competition”.

A fourth added: “Gyokeres will be Arsenal’s third choice CF when Havertz returns and Arteta clocks that Merino is a fake midfielder.”

Some even questioned the club’s transfer policy. One fan argued: “The board officials could have still held on to Kai Havertz & Mikel Merino as our targetmen & signed a prolific left-winger instead of signing Gyokeres who doesn’t suit our style of play. I know for sure y’all agree with me on this one??!!!”

Meanwhile, another supporter had already called for Gyokeres to be dropped before the Liverpool defeat — and he doubled down after Merino’s hat-trick, writing: “Merino hatty. Stand by the fact that Merino 9 and [Eberechi] Eze LCM would have caused LFC many more issues than Merino RCM and Gyokeres 9.”

Arsenal’s £267m summer spend

Gyokeres arrived at Arsenal this summer as part of a £267m summer transfer spree that also saw Eze, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera land at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal were the third-highest spenders in the Premier League, with only Chelsea (£296.5m) and Liverpool (£446.5m) paying more in transfer fees since the end of last season.

The 2025 summer transfer window was a record-breaking one in the Premier League as more than £3.2 BILLION was spent by England’s 20 top-flight clubs in total.

That smashed the division’s previous record of £2.44bn, set in 2023.