“A bricklayer who doesn’t have any exceptional abilities”, “Looks lost on the pitch” - Arsenal fans slam 28-year-old star after Everton draw

Arsenal fans on X have criticized summer signing Mikel Merino after he struggled to make an impact during their stalemate against Everton. The Gunners were held to a 0-0 draw in their Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, December 14.

The Gunners failed to break down Everton's resilient defense, dropping points in consecutive Premier League games following their 1-1 draw against Fulham last week. Jordan Pickford made two good saves to deny Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to ensure the Toffees secured a hard-earned point.

Merino was handed a start in the heart of Arsenal's midfield alongside Odegaard and Declan Rice. The 28-year-old was industrious off the ball but struggled to be creative going forward. He struggled in the Gunners' build-up and failed to get into Everton's box.

One Arsenal fan wasn't impressed as he tweeted:

"Arsenal fans will keep lying to themselves about Merino whenever he's involved in a game that we win but the reality is that we've signed a bricklayer who doesn't have any exceptional abilities and spends most of his time hiding from the ball"

Another fan posted:

"More and more time goes by the more I’m disappointed in Merino. 40 million for someone who looks lost on the pitch half the time. This a 20 million player imo. You can’t be just another cog in the wheel at a top club. Need to assert authority. Technically inconsistent."

Other fans reacted below:

"Merino doesn’t offer anything in the final third," one fan commented

"Merino first Spanish footballer who hides from the football," one fan pointed out

"People will troll Martinelli when he’s been our biggest threat in the first half. Merino has offered nothing on that side till now," another added

"Starring Merino was a very poor decision by Arteta today. He was completely out of the game," one fan tweeted

"Merino has been dreadful, negative in possession and extremely poor execution of the absolute basics!" another chimed in

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How did Arsenal fare in their draw against Everton?

Arsenal's struggles in front of goal continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton. They are currently third in the Premier League table with 30 points from 16 games. They sit six points behind leaders Liverpool, despite having played one extra game.

The Gunners dominated possession with 77 percent of the ball, completing 628 passes with an accuracy of 92 percent. Meanwhile, Everton had just 23 percent possession and completed 150 passes with an accuracy of 72 percent.

Arsenal had more opportunities going forward as well but were unable to find a way past Everton's defense. They landed 13 shots in total with five being on target (xG of 1.42). In contrast, the Toffees mustered just two shots in total with none being on target (xG of 0.17).

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Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on December 14 at 11:30 PM IST. They are subject to change as per the platform's prerogative.