Mikel Merino is hopeful he can win the UEFA Champions League title with Arsenal, Afrosport reports.
The 28-year-old Spaniard joined the Gunners from Real Sociedad during the summer but had not made any appearance due to a shoulder injury.
He finally made his debut in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League over Paris Saint-Germain at the start of October, and has featured in Premier League games against Southampton and Bournemouth.
Arsenal have improved massively under manager Mikel Arteta after finishing a close second in the Premier League in back-to-back seasons.
They have also been touted as one of the favourites to win the Champions League after reaching the quarter-finals last season and Merino hopes to be part of that history.
“I’ve been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies in my career with the national team as well. I know the feeling – something you can’t compare with anything else,” the Euro 2024 winner said.
“Knowing what this club is about how big the Champions League and winning trophies is.
“Winning the Champions League here would be amazing. There is still a long way to go to achieve that. We have the basics, the players, we have the mentality, that has to be the ultimate goal…”
Merino is also looking towards bringing his experience into the youthful Arsenal side.
“I think we have a pretty complete team, pretty complete coaching staff as well. They have that winning mentality as well. They might not have the experience yet because we have a young team,” he added.
“Luckily I have had some experiences where I won, just that experience in the moment of truth in the finals or semi-finals to keep that mentality, calmness and try to do what you’re doing on a daily basis – what has made you get to that stage.”
Merino’s career has seen him feature for Osasuna, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United and Real Sociedad.
He won the DFB-Pokal with Dortmund and Copa del Rey with Sociedad.
He also has a lot of titles at international level with Spain, winning the U-19 and U-21 Euro championships in 2015 and 2019, the 2020 Olympic silver medal with the U-23 team before going on to win the 2023 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024 championship.
