A keen Arsenal fan deciphers Mikel Arteta's strategic move in the Mikel Merino announcement video

Arsenal have officially announced the acquisition of Mikel Merino. However, the revelations did not stop there, as Mikel Arteta had more surprises in store in the announcement video for his compatriot from the Basque region.

The Gunners are going low-key with their transfer reveals this time around. For the second time in a row, a new signing has been revealed via a clip of manager Arteta addressing the squad, telling them all that the player they've been chasing is officially here.

In this clip, Merino is then given the floor to speak to his team-mates. But fans have noticed a key detail in the video.

Arteta has long been an advocate of relationships on the pitch. The Arsenal manager has spoken before about the righthand side of his team and how much Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka get along off the pitch – while Gabriel Martinelli's friendship with Fabio Vieira has been referenced, too.

“I think relationships build in teams naturally,” Arteta told football.london in 2023. “[Martinelli] has even more chemistry with Fabio when you see them play.”

VIDEO Why Arsenal Wanted Mikel Merino So Badly

Martinelli, however, is not in particularly great form: the Brazilian endured another difficult afternoon away to Aston Villa last weekend. On an unrelated note, Vieira has left for Porto on loan. 

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Ever a fan of an innovative way to spark something from his players, Arteta has addressed this, with one fan noticing on X (formerly Twitter) that the Basque boss sat Martinelli down next to Merino. Is he trying to build a little rapport between the two?

“Arteta really is a psycho,” @trickyredsfc posted. “He’s forced these two together like schoolchildren to get that left-hand side ticking.”

Coincidental? Well, this is a manager who hired pickpockets to steal from his own squad. Details are everything…

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