Merino Says Arsenal Can ‘Absolutely’ Win Every Trophy This Season

Mikel Merino believes Arsenal can ‘absolutely’ win every competition they are involved in this season, speaking in the mixed zone following the victory over Lille on Tuesday night.

The Gunners ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title last season and came within a penalty shootout of winning the Champions League, losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest.

Merino insisted that near miss has only strengthened the squad’s belief, saying the aim is ‘to win everything’.

When asked whether that was realistic, he had no hesitation in replying, ‘Absolutely! This is the mentality, this is the aim, we were so, so close last season, and that proved to us that we are ready for it.’

Arsenal have made a strong start to their title defence, winning five of their opening six league games, and have won both of their Champions League matches so far, including Tuesday’s 3-0 victory over Lille.

The Spain international stressed that the size of the squad will be key to competing on four fronts, with the fixture schedule only getting busier.

He explained, ‘There is no chance that you can have a small squad, you need the biggest squad possible with most quality possible.’

Merino also pointed to the importance of players coming off the bench, using a term Arteta has adopted for his substitutes. The Arsenal boss first spoke publicly about his ‘finishers’ last September, after Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard came on to score both goals in a 2-0 Champions League win at Athletic Club. Arteta said at the time that his finishers could sometimes be more important than his starters.

The idea is borrowed from rugby union. Former England head coach Eddie Jones famously rebranded his replacements as ‘finishers’, and Arteta, who has shared ideas with Jones through a group of elite coaches, later revealed he had been inspired to find a term of his own for Arsenal’s substitutes.

The Gunners have only scored in the first-half during three of their nine matches in all competitions this season, with substitutes playing a part in three of their five goals scored in the last week.

Merino said he was proof of the impact a substitute can have, adding that he has had the chance to show it with both country and club.

The midfielder came off the bench to score late winners for Spain at both Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup, both of which they went on to win, while his first goals as a makeshift striker for Arsenal came as a substitute in a 2-0 win at Leicester City in February 2025.

He has since scored 14 goals for the club and continues to deliver for his country, netting both of Spain’s goals in a 2-1 win in Croatia during the international break.

Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, where Arteta’s finishers could prove important. The Gunners have failed to score at the City Ground in three of their four visits since Forest returned to the top flight.