Mikel Merino next: Ranking every player Arsenal have signed from La Liga from worst to best

Arsenal are closing in on a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino – but how have their previous imports from La Liga fared over the years?

The Gunners have agreed personal terms with the 28-year-old and have also offered the La Liga side a package worth around £25million.

We’ve taken a look at the 18 first-team players that Arsenal have previously signed from La Liga and ranked them from worst to best.

Note: we’ve not included players initially signed for the youth team so that rules out Hector Bellerin, Fran Merida and Ignasi Miquel.

18. Denis Suarez

Suarez joined Arsenal on loan from Barcelona in January 2019 and made just six appearances in all competitions during a forgettable six-month stint in north London.

17. Sebastien Squillaci

Arsenal bought Squillaci from Sevilla in August 2010, but he struggled to adapt to English football and was released at the end of the 2012/13 season.

“I arrived at Arsenal without a proper pre-season because my move from Sevilla happened quickly,” he said. “Arsenal brought me as a third centre-back, there was an injury straight away, and I had a run of 15 or 20 games straight away.

“Despite everything, the first two of three months didn’t go too badly, then in December I wasn’t good at all, I didn’t perform well and I took a bit of a hit.

“There was a lot of intensity, arriving in England from Spain, the game’s not the same. It’s very demanding in England. My performances dipped. That’s the way things go.”

16. Lucas Perez

After failing to sign Jamie Vardy in the summer of 2016, Arsenal switched their attention to Perez and triggered the £17.1million release clause in his Deportivo La Coruna contract.

The striker scored a Champions League hat-trick in a group-stage game against FC Basel but netted just one Premier League goal for the Gunners.

He rejoined Deportivo La Coruna on a season-long loan deal in 2017 and was then sold to West Ham United for just £4million.

15. Davor Suker

Arsenal sold Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid in the summer of 1999 and Suker moved in the opposite direction in a separate deal.

The striker found himself behind Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Nwankwo Kanu in the pecking order and scored 11 goals in all competitions in 1999/00.

His last act for the Gunners was to miss their first penalty in the shootout defeat to Galatasaray in the 2000 UEFA Cup final.

14. Gabriel Paulista

Brought in from Villarreal in January 2015, Paulista failed to establish himself as a first-team regular during his two-and-half years at Arsenal and was sold to Valencia.

“In the Premier League, I tried to prove my worth but I didn’t get the chances,” the centre-back said. “When I played, it was often because of an injury to my teammates.

“I deserved more opportunities. I was sad because I knew I had the ability to play… But other people didn’t think so.”

13. Julio Baptista

Baptitsa joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2006 on a season-long loan deal that saw Jose Antonio Reyes move in the opposite direction.

While the former Brazil international scored just three goals in the Premier League, he will always be fondly remembered for that four-goal haul in a League Cup win against Liverpool.

12. Shkodran Mustafi

Mustafi completed a £35million move to Arsenal in the summer of 2016 and initially impressed, going unbeaten in his first 21 games at the club.

But everything went downhill from there and a series of calamitous errors saw him become a much-maligned figure in north London.

The former Valencia centre-back still made 151 appearances for the Gunners before his contract was terminated by mutual consent in February 2021.

11. Dani Ceballos

After struggling for regular first-team minutes at Real Madrid, Ceballos joined Arsenal on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2019.

The midfielder played a key role in their FA Cup-winning campaign and did enough to return for a second successive loan, but he failed to replicate that form in 2020/21 and Arsenal opted against making the move permanent.

10. Thomas Partey

Arsenal signed Partey on transfer deadline day in 2020 after agreeing to trigger the £45million release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.

While the midfielder has shown glimpses of his talent, a series of injury problems have plagued his time in north London and Merino’s impending arrival will push him down the pecking order.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and midfielder Thomas Partey

9. Jose Antonio Reyes

Arsenal paid Sevilla an initial £10.5million and another £7million in potential add-ons to secure Reyes’ signature in January 2004.

His goals against Portsmouth and Fulham helped the Gunners complete their unbeaten season in the Premier League, and he also won the FA Cup in 2004/05.

But the former Spain international struggled with homesickness and spent the 2006/07 season on loan at Real Madrid before joining Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal.

8. Nacho Monreal

Monreal was a relatively unknown 26-year-old when he joined Arsenal from Malaga in an £8.5million deal in January 2013.

But the left-back established himself as a fan favourite during his six-and-a-half-years at the Emirates, and he also won three FA Cups.

“I know what kind of player I am: I’ve never been a star who scores goals or makes the difference,” he said. “But every time I pulled on the Arsenal shirt, I gave my all.

“I felt proud just warming up. You could feel the fans’ affection [and] gratitude. I’m very fond of them too.”

7. Manuel Almunia

Almunia joined Arsenal following Celta Vigo’s relegation from La Liga in 2003/04 and initially played second-fiddle to first-choice goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

He eventually usurped the former Germany international in the 2007/08 season and went on to make 175 appearances for the Gunners, keeping 70 clean sheets.

6. Santi Cazorla

Cazorla left Malaga for Arsenal in the summer of 2012 and made an immediate impact in north London, winning their Player of the Season award in his debut campaign.

The midfielder continued to impress and scored in their 2014 FA Cup final win over Hull City before producing a Man of the Match performance in the 2015 FA Cup final.

An Achilles injury ruined his final two years at the club and he was released in 2018, having registered 29 goals and 44 assists in 180 appearances in all competitions.

5. Lauren

Arsenal identified Lauren as Lee Dixon’s long-term replacement and signed the right-back from Real Mallorca in the summer of 2000.

The former Cameroon international spent the following six-and-a-half-years in north London and made 242 appearances in all competitions.

He helped the Gunners win the double in 2001/02 and was also an integral part of the ‘Invincibles’ team that went unbeaten in the 2003/04 Premier League season.

4. Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal fought off competition from Liverpool and Juventus to sign Sanchez from Barcelona in a £31.7million deal in 2014.

The Chile international registered 80 goals and 43 assists in 166 appearances for the club, while also winning two FA Cups and two Arsenal Player of the Season awards.

He may have slightly tainted his legacy by making an incredibly ill-judged move to Manchester United in January 2018, but there is no doubting how good he was at the Emirates.

3. Mesut Ozil

After being deemed surplus to requirements by Real Madrid, Ozil joined Arsenal in a £42.5million deal on transfer deadline day in 2013.

The former Germany international won the FA Cup in his debut season, ending a nine-year trophy drought for the Gunners.

He picked up three more FA Cup winner’s medals and also won the Arsenal Player of the Year award in 2015/16 after registering 19 assists in the Premier League.

His time at the club came to an acrimonious end in January 2021, but the enigmatic midfielder is still a cult hero at the Emirates.

2. Martin Odegaard

Odegaard initially joined Arsenal from Real Madrid on a six-month loan deal in January 2021 and the move was then made permanent for £30million.

The midfielder has been a transformative signing for the Gunners, and he won their Player of the Season award in both 2022/23 and 2023/24.

“He was here in the tough times and now he’s come through that and he’s arguably one of the best players in the Premier League,” teammate Declan Rice said.

“He just makes something happen out of nothing. He’s probably the best trainer, he’s just so elegant. Just everything down to the way he lives his life, how he treats this game as a profession, he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard

1. Cesc Fabregas

A La Masia academy graduate, Fabregas was just 16 years old when he joined Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer of 2003.

He made his first-team debut a few weeks later and went from strength to strength under Arsene Wenger, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the world.

The former Spain international registered 57 goals and 95 assists in 303 appearances for the Gunners before re-signing for Barcelona in 2011.

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