Jamie Carragher believes Mikel Arteta should regard Mikel Merino as Arsenal’s first-choice striker ahead of Viktor Gyokeres.
The Sweden international has scored six goals since joining Arsenal in a £64 million deal from Sporting in the summer, however, questions have been raised over the 27-year-old’s technical ability and his effectiveness in key games.
Merino, meanwhile, has deputised as Arsenal’s leading striker in recent weeks due to injuries to Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, and has impressed with a run of four goals and three assists in seven games.
Gyokeres was handed a start for Arsenal’s last-gasp 2-1 win at home to Wolves last Saturday but Carragher feels Merino should still be leading the attack on current form.
‘Gyokeres has come in, we have to be honest, the word on the street before he came to the Premier League was, ‘we’re not sure whether he’s at the level of a really top European club’, which is what Arsenal are, one of the best teams in Europe,’ Carragher told Sky Sports.
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‘I think even though it’s early in his Arsenal reign, you can see where that sentiment was coming from.
‘I actually think it’s going to be tough for Gyokeres to be the first-choice Arsenal striker.
‘Especially when Gabriel Jesus gets up to speed, who I actually think is a better player than Gyokeres, I think Gyokeres will score more goals over season but I think in terms of everything you’d want from a centre-forward, I think Jesus is probably a better player.
‘Merino, right now, I actually think is first choice. I know Gyokeres played at the weekend, I think that was down to the fact he’d just come back from injury, he needed a game and it was also Wolves at home.
‘Merino has been fantastic getting goals in that position, but almost like a false nine. Kai Havertz is almost another version of that.
‘You’ve got a bit of variety there with a really good striker, a goalscorer and players who play the false nine position. I actually think they’re going to need all four to go on to win the title, I don’t think any of them are the guy who is this world-class striker Arsenal have been after.’
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