“I’ll ask for a striker’s contract. They earn more” - Arsenal star makes hilarious demand amid talk of Andrea Berta joining as sporting director

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has made a lighthearted remark about his contract situation amid speculation that Andrea Berta could be appointed as the club’s new sporting director.

Merino joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad last summer and has enjoyed a decent maiden campaign so far at the Emirates Stadium.

Of late, the Spanish midfielder has seen his role change at the north London club. Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have seen Mikel Arteta deploy Merino as a makeshift striker. Surprisingly, the Merino so far impressed in all the matches where he has been deployed as a false nine.

Former Atletico Madrid sporting director Andrea Berta is on the verge of becoming Arsenal’s new sporting director after Edu Gaspar stepped down from the position.

In a recent interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport, Merino was quizzed about the potential arrival of Berta. In response, the midfielder admitted not knowing anything about Berta’s situation and joked that he would demand a pay raise for playing up front for Arsenal.

“I don’t know if it’s official; anyway, I don’t know anything,'' Mikel Merino said via Caughtoffside. ‘’But I do know one thing: I’ll ask for a striker’s contract. They earn more, and now I have to cover two roles too!”

So far, Merino has scored six goals and provided two assists for the Gunners in 33 appearances across competitions.

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''Whatever you need'' – Mikel Merino on how he ended up playing as a striker for Arsenal

In another interview, Mikel Merino revealed how he ended up playing in the No. 9 position for Arsenal. Merino’s journey as the Gunners’ makeshift striker started in a Premier League game against Leicester City. The midfielder came on as a substitute and scored a brace to give his side a 2-0 win.

The former Real Sociedad player said his role switch began after he started getting messages on social media from friends and family about playing upfront after Havertz picked up an injury in Dubai.

Merino told The Guardian:

“We’re on a training camp in Dubai and Kai Havertz unfortunately gets injured. There’s a plague of injuries and we don’t have any attackers. On social media, even from friends, I was seeing messages about me playing up front and just laughed. I’m thinking ‘the things people come up with’, ‘the stuff they invent.

“But during the morning stroll before the Leicester game, one of the analysts mentions playing as a forward, a false nine: drop to receive, ‘fix’ the centre‑backs. He asks how I feel about it, was I OK with it? And I said: ‘Whatever you need.’”

He added:

“I think they did it deliberately, not telling me until the last minute because they know I like to have everything under control, have lots of information, and by not telling me earlier they removed the ‘stress’

“They know me: they know I want to know why we do things, exactly what movements to make, to not make, everything. If they told me sooner I would have been thinking too much, instead of letting it flow. And look: they told me late, I didn’t think much, I went out, I flowed, I scored two.”