6ft2in Arsenal star admits he feels ‘tiny’ in Mikel Arteta’s giant squad as he says ‘it’s like a basketball team’

AT Real Sociedad, Mikel Merino saw himself arsenic a elephantine of a man.

But aft joining Arsenal successful the summer, the 6ft 2in Spanish midfielder feels similar 1 of the smallest members of Mikel Arteta’s elite radical of NBA-sized antheral mountains.

Merino, 28, laughed: “It is crazy. I americium successful the corridors of the grooming crushed conscionable walking, and backmost astatine my aged nine I utilized to beryllium 1 of the tallest, truthful everyone was smaller than me.

“Now, I look astir and everyone is taller than me. We look similar a hoops team.”

In their 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth connected Saturday, the Gunners’ starting XI had NINE players supra six ft — with conscionable 5ft 8in duo Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard beneath that mark.

Heading that lofty line-up was the 6ft 4in duo of William Saliba and Kai Havertz, on with chap giants Merino, David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel, Ben White, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey.

Since taking complaint astir 5 years ago, brag Arteta has made it his ngo to assemble a squad not lone with method quality but almighty physiques to match, successful their quest for Premier League three-pointers.

In the passageway earlier kick-off, this net-busting Arsenal squad are a frightening imaginable for rivals, adjacent much truthful from set-pieces with their slam-dunk country routines striking fearfulness into defenders.

But these large guys definite tin shift, overmuch similar the Harlem Globetrotters covering the transportation with a stunning operation of bulk, brains and beauty.

SunSport adjacent understands Arteta shows hoops clips to members of his squad to promote them to usage their size much efficiently, creating abstraction with clever movement.

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Merino continued: “Football present has changed and you request a beardown team. Physicality is cardinal and we request to beryllium the astir implicit squad possible.

“You request the carnal aspect, method aspect, the tactical one, you request to beryllium a full squad to execute large things arsenic we privation to do.

“It is not lone astir being gangly and big, you request mentality. If you are gangly and large but don’t spell with the 100 per cent volition to triumph the ball, it’s conscionable nothing.

“Set-pieces are a large portion of the crippled and you tin triumph oregon suffer a batch due to the fact that of that.

“We bid a batch and have the carnal advantage. But the main happening is the mentality and we person that.”

Merino arrived successful North London for £27.4million from Sociedad with a reputation for dominating duels, winning 326 past word — the astir successful Europe’s apical 5 leagues.

But aft making his archetypal Prem commencement against the Cherries — having recovered from a freak enarthrosis wounded suffered successful his archetypal grooming league backmost successful August — Merino says helium is overmuch much than conscionable a midfield bruiser.

He said: “That is 1 of the reasons I americium here, because I tin beryllium a menace successful the other box. That is thing I request to enactment connected to get amended at. I person a precocious ceiling.

“Of course, goals are not the main happening for a midfielder but if you tin supply them it is going to beryllium a full antithetic happening for you arsenic a player.

“I person admired a batch of players — Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira — all-round midfielders that are box-to-box, tin score, tin defend, triumph duels.

“Of course, successful Spain we had Xavi, Andres Iniesta and that mentality of keeping the ball, dominating done abbreviated passes.”

Merino is coming disconnected the backmost of what helium describes arsenic “the champion summer”, 1 that “changed my life”, having won the Euros with Spain earlier earning a career-defining Arsenal switch.

The Osasuna academy prima scored an extra-time victor successful the quarter- finals to dump hosts Germany retired and played his portion successful the last to interruption English hearts.

Add that to a German Cup triumph with Borussia Dortmund, a Copa del Rey rubric with Sociedad and European triumphs with Spain’s Under-19s and Under-21s, it is wide Merino brings a winning mentality to a talented Arsenal radical that are young and bare — but lacking  silverware.

It seems past determination is nary amended antheral to person connected your broadside erstwhile it comes to ending a 20-year Prem drought, arsenic good arsenic trying to triumph the Champions League for the archetypal time.

Ahead of their league-phase clash with Shakhtar Donetsk astatine the Emirates, Merino explained: “I’ve been fortunate capable to triumph a batch of trophies successful my career, I cognize the feeling.

“You cannot comparison it with thing else. Knowing what this nine is astir and how  large the Champions League is and winning  trophies, winning the contention present would beryllium amazing.

“The squad whitethorn not person the acquisition yet, it is simply a truly young team, but luckily I person experiences of winning, erstwhile you person the infinitesimal of information successful the semis oregon last and to beryllium capable to support that calmness.

“There is inactive a agelong mode to spell to execute that but I deliberation we person the basics, the players, the mentality, and that has to beryllium the eventual goal.”