Arsenal have found their very own Rodri to unleash Declan Rice next season

Any successful team in the modern era rely on a top-level holding midfielder to knit things together and Arsenal might well have identified their perfect £20million answer to Manchester City talisman Rodri – one who has even managed to outperform his fellow Euro 2024 winner in one key area.

As the dust continues to settle on Spain’s deserved victory over England in Berlin on Sunday night, the great and good across Europe are queuing up to get their hands on the trophy winners. Nico Williams is a player who needs no introduction at the Emirates Stadium as Edu continues to monitor the forward.

Williams is not the only Pamplona native in the crosshairs of Arsenal’s transfer supremo, either, with Mikel Merino tipped to pitch up in north London this summer. Reports from The Telegraph pinpoint the 28-year-old as a primary target for the Gunners to bolster their engine room.

READ MORE: Arsenal already have their own Lamine Yamal amid £167.8million transfer statement

READ MORE: Arsenal second summer signing agreed as Aaron Ramsdale given Mikel Arteta lifeline

Declan Rice was similarly sworn in from West Ham for a hefty nine-figure fee last summer and it was thought that he would help bridge the gap on champions City at the Premier League summit. He did, to a certain extent, but the season ended in anguish once again for Arsenal as they fell narrowly short.

Another prospective title race means another important recruitment drive for the Gunners. Bringing in yet another attacker is top of the shopping list, so too cover and competition in midfield.

While he was initially signed as a defensive midfielder – and plays that role for club and country – Rice excelled as a No.8 with Arsenal last season. He made a significant impact as a box-to-box player, and signing Merino would allow the England regular to continue in that role.

Merino, too, is flexible. He scored a last-gasp winner for Spain against host nation Germany in the quarter-finals en route to glory in Berlin at England’s expense, while his brief introduction in the final was with the more familiar aim of stopping Rice and Co. from edging their way back to parity. It worked.

That shouldn’t have come as a surprise, given his staggering work in that area last season. No player across Europe – including esteemed compatriot Rodri (201) – won more duels than Merino (326).

He was the only player to top the 300-mark with Premier League duo Bruno Guimaraes (286) and Bayern Munich-bound Palhinha (259) trudging behind that overall tally. Merino’s return saw him win an average six duels every 90 minutes – underling his potential worth to the Arsenal cause.

Of course, Rodri has other qualities few others possess and is widely regarded as the best player in his position in world football. Merino will have to go some to match up to him as an overall package, but his key attribute should enable Arsenal to unleash Rice further forward and get optimum productivity from their midfield trio.