Arsenal star Ray Parlour has praised the club’s decision to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.
The Gunners are thought to be on the verge of signing the Spanish international.
After spending £42 million on defender Riccardo Calafiori, manager Mikel Arteta has shifted his focus to strengthening the midfield.
With only a year remaining on his Sociedad deal, Merino is a cost-effective option for Arteta.
Parlour, speaking to talkSPORT, identified Thomas Partey as the player to be replaced by Merino.
He stated: “You look at Thomas Partey. He might be on his way so they do need a little bit of strengthening in that midfield and give Declan Rice that little bit more license to go forward.
“I like the box to box players like Bryan Robson back in the day. It’s just using common sense as a midfielder, if someone runs past you you just fill in for them.
“Merino is a good age, at 28 he’s perfect he should be in his prime. At £25million that’s a decent deal. They’ve got a decent relationship with Real Sociedad with Tierney going there.”
