Mikel Merino

Key strength: Work rate

Box-to-box midfielder

With Arsenal perched at the summit of the Premier League table, Mikel Merino has emerged as the unsung engine powering the Gunners' title charge amid an erratic DWLDL run. The 29-year-old Spanish international, valued at €30 million and wearing the number 23 shirt, has been Arteta's metronome in the centre of the park—delivering 6 goals and 3 assists across 33 appearances while orchestrating play with his 73-rated passing range. His goal involvement rate of one every 209 minutes for a deep-lying midfielder is testament to his understated attacking threat. But it's Merino's tireless work rate and remarkable discipline that truly distinguish him: just a single yellow card in 1,877 minutes of combat this season. Operating as a box-to-box orchestrator, the Spaniard provides the connective tissue between Arsenal's star-studded attack—featuring the likes of Ødegaard, Gyökeres and Martinelli—and their defensive foundation. As the Gunners navigate their inconsistent patch, Merino's controlled intelligence and relentless engine may prove the difference between silverware and near-misses.