Fabrizio Romano thinks Mikel Merino is going to ‘surprise’ a lot of people having just signed for Arsenal

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Arsenal have now sealed their second signing of the summer with Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.

This summer transfer window has been a quiet one around the league, on the whole, with Manchester City having also done minimal business.

But Mikel Arteta has been left delighted having signed Merino following weeks and weeks of negotiations with the Spanish outfit following this summer’s Euros.

It is a deal which has been worked on extremely hard with Edu Gaspar having travelled to Spain to meet with Merino and Sociedad.

The 28-year-old is being added to an already impressive midfield department which boasts the likes of Declan Rice .

Despite already having their stars in the middle, Merino is now being tipped to surprise people around the league with just how good he is.

• READ MORE: Mikel Arteta expected to offer Arsenal start to unhappy £26m player against Brighton on Saturday

Fabrizio Romano expects Mikel Merino to surprise at Arsenal

Merino has now been in north London for a number of days following his medical at London Colney over the weekend.

Having been announced as the second signing of the summer, Merino has even shared who his favourite Arsenal player of all time is having grown up a fan.

There may be some questions about where he’ll play with Arteta expected to play Merino in the number eight role at Arsenal.

• READ MORE: What Mikel Merino said to his new Arsenal teammates after being announced on Tuesday

Speaking on his Daily Briefing, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that a lot of people are going to be surprised with just how good Merino could be.

“Some fans have been asking me about these two deals [Manuel Ugarte and Merino] and for a comparison on who’s getting the better midfielder,” he said.

“Still, they are completely different players in my opinion, I’d say it’s impossible to compare. However, I feel these are both excellent moves – Merino is perfect for what Arsenal needed as he brings balance and quality.

“Man United needed a player with Ugarte’s skills and they only only wanted him, he was the priority number one since June. I think Merino in particular is going to surprise a lot of people, and for €32m plus add-ons it’s excellent business by Arsenal.”

Arsenal making small gains in the title race

When there was so little between the top two sides last season, it was clear that Arsenal did not need to make huge changes this summer.

One more win would have been enough for Arsenal to have got their hands on the Premier League title.

With this in mind, Arsenal have been making small changes in the market to bolster their side with further quality with Calafiori and Merino.

However, there is still a feeling that Arsenal still need to sign a forward over the final days of the window to make this summer market a success.