Small fracture to keep Arsenal new signing Mikel Merino out for a few weeks: Mikel Arteta

LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that new signing Mikel Merino will not make his debut for the team yet due to injury, as they prepare to host Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League on Aug 31.

The Spanish midfielder signed for the Gunners from La Liga side Real Sociedad earlier this week, but has suffered an issue during training and is ruled out for the clash.

The 28-year-old joins Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney on the sidelines.

“Very unfortunate. Yesterday he had a collision and he has a shoulder injury. It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks,” Arteta said on Aug 30.

“He was really excited and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor and Gabi (Gabriel Magalhaes) landed on top of him and it looks like he has a small fracture, probably.”

The Arsenal boss was speaking at a press conference, which was largely about team injuries and deadline-day transfer activity. He did not give anything away when asked if there would be more signings after Merino, David Raya and Riccardo Calafiori.

He did, however, pay tribute to outgoing goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who has joined Southampton.

“Thank you so much for what he’s done for the club, for the team and for myself. He brought a lot of joy and charisma and was really good when he joined,” Arteta said.

“He had a situation that was really good for him. He insisted that he’s really joyful when he plays and we tried to arrange that.”

Injuries and transfers aside, Arsenal need to focus on their match against Brighton.

Both teams have won their first two league matches and will put their 100 per cent record on the line in the lunchtime kick-off, as they hope to clinch another three points to go top of the table, for a couple of hours at least.

The Gunners will hope to build on their 2-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend, while Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is boosted by his team’s last-gasp 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

Besides Arsenal and Brighton, there are only two other teams who boast a perfect six points so far this season.

Champions Manchester City are currently top on goal difference, and travel to West Ham United following the early kick-off. Liverpool play a day later on Sept 1 and aim to get to nine points as well when they make the trip to Old Trafford to take on arch-rivals United.

Arteta knows, however, whatever happens in other matches does not matter as long as his side win.

Arsenal have won their last eight Premier League fixtures, and with another victory, the Gunners will end a 20-year wait for nine straight league wins since the “Invincibles” achieved the feat in 2003-04 – the season they last won the title.

Meanwhile, the mood is positive in the Brighton camp.

Hurzeler, 31, has attracted much attention as the youngest manager in Premier League history, and he has shown that he has the qualities to be successful, despite his tender age.

Fresh from a 3-0 win over Everton, the German and his side were then unfazed when they hosted United last week, pushing the Red Devils all the way before edging them out with a stoppage-time goal.

The Seagulls, however, failed to win any of their seven league games away to London clubs last season, so it is a curse that they would hope to break when they travel to Arsenal.

Hurzeler knows the challenge facing his team is huge.

“They don’t have a lot of weaknesses and they have solutions for all phases of the game,” he said of Arsenal.

“We need a good day. We go there to win because I think my squad have potential, but we have to respect them because they are one of the best teams in the world.”

Like Arsenal, Brighton’s new signing Matt O’Riley will also not be available after injuring his ankle in the 4-0 League Cup second-round win over Crawley Town in midweek and is set for surgery.