Arsenal legend, Ray Parlour, has hailed the club’s move to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.

The Gunners are believed to be on the verge of landing the Spain international.

Having spent £42 million on defender Riccardo Calafiori, manager Mikel Arteta has turned his attention to bolstering the midfield.

With just a year left on his Sociedad contract, Merino is a cost-effective solution for Arteta.

Parlour, speaking to talkSPORT, has identified Thomas Partey as the player that will be displaced by Merino.

He said: “You look at Thomas Partey. He might be on his way so they do need a little bit of strengthening in that midfield and give Declan Rice that little bit more license to go forward.

“I like the box to box players like Bryan Robson back in the day. It’s just using common sense as a midfielder, if someone runs past you you just fill in for them.

“Merino is a good age, at 28 he’s perfect he should be in his prime. At £25million that’s a decent deal. They’ve got a decent relationship with Real Sociedad with Tierney going there.”

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