For me one of, if not the most exciting arrival this summer will be the return of Fran Mérida from his loan spell with Spanish Segunda outfit Real Sociedad.
Fran has had a mixed and eventful time back in his home land since joining the Basque outfit in January, and after starting well under former Fulham boss Chris Coleman, Merida found himself on the bench as Coleman was sacked and new chairman Iñaki Badiola decided he wanted his own man in charge.
Jose Ramon Eizmendi was appointed and decided to keep Fran on the bench, only using him for the final moments of games to run down the clock. You could understand this happening if it was successful, but the fact of the matter was that under Eizmendi Sociedad had slipped out of the automatic promotion zone, and with pressure piling on the Real board, Jose Ramon was sacked just over two months after his appointment.
In came Juanma Lillo, who quickly established Mérida as the lynch pin of his side. He started him for the home game against Hércules, (his first in charge) and with the scores at 1-1 Fran bagged the winner with just minutes left. A speculator way to celebrate his brand new four year contract with Arsenal.
Whilst the loan spell in Spain has not been an easy ride for Fran, the experience gained will prove to be priceless. The Segunda season runs right to June so there is still plenty of playing time and vital experience to be gained. However he has been called up to the Spanish Under 19 squad that will face Ukraine and Turkey later this month.
Wenger has previously spoken about Mérida, and called the 18 year old an “An absolutely amazing player”, whilst it is unknown where Arsene sees as his best position, the long term future is looking good for Fran.
He will no doubt take heart from Mark Randall, Kieran Gibbs and Jay Simpson who have all scored goals following there return for loan spells, and if Fran was amazing before the loan spell, imagine how good he will be on his return.
Article By – J.Sanderson
I’m not convinced Merida will play much of a part in the future. He isn’t going to oust Cesc, and doesn’t have the defensive skills to play alongside him. I think he will be sold after a season on loan elsewhere
Tom
Who says cesc will still be here to play next to in a couple of years?
and if Fran was amazing before the loan spell – was he?
Merida doesn’t have to out do cesc, he can easily play on the wings(as he had for Arsenal reserves on a couple of occasions) or up front; we cant let a talent like him get away.
What is his best postion?
Where will he fit into this side? cesc, rosicky, eboue, hleb?, vela, randall, gibbs, diaby, denilson, song, traore and gilberto? all can be potentially ahead of him and this is not counting new signings! Even getting into the carling cup squad is going to be hard let alone trying to get a place in the first team!
I would imagine it will offer the chance for Wenger to rotate Fabregas, should Merida impress.
He is mainly a central midfielder, but can play on the left too.
And yes Cescy, Merida has been superb for the Reserves
How many people have said that Merida is a quality player. It would be stupid of us to let him go. However i do see a problem coming for Wenger in that in my opinion we have a lot of very very good young players that re all going to want to burst onto the scene at the same time. Thats when decisions will have to be made about who can cut it. Fran is still only 18 though so some carling cup games and a few covers for injuries games would see how much of the prem he can take at the moment. I feel that he wont become a regular or a first team pusher until at least next season (meaning not this one coming) or maybe the one after, unless he does a fabregas, which as fabregas proved it isn’t impossible to show that he can cut it immediately. I haven’t seen him play so i would know but Sanderson, what would you think his chances were of blowing us all away and start calling for a first team bout this coming season?
He has some serious talent, i think he can blow us all away and i rate his potential higher than Denilson.
He is superb on free kicks and set pieces, and his passing ability is second to none. Its about if he can adapt to the physical Premiership, which i feel he can do
Is Clichy the immenient signing that Ken Friar was refering to in a recent interview. If so when are we going to bring in Ben Arfa.
Without being disrespectful to the segunda league. Is it like a lower tier of English football where the challenges are harder and it is more physical or not really? If it is then this could well have been the ideal loan move for him to prepare him for the prem in which case i wouldn’t mind seeing him line up in the team to face Juve or Real in the Emirates cup this season!
Its very compeitive, where anybody can beat anybody. Not sure about its physical element, but for sure its a great league.
When I saw him for Spain Under-17s, he was playing just off the striker Bojan. Supposedly, he had been excellent leading up to the matches I saw, but in the Semis and the Final, I was not impressed, so I’m still unsure as to how well he plays in the role. I’ve never liked the idea of having someone with his range of passing restricted to just behind the front men, but being further forward may have allowed him to make the most of his excellent shooting ability.
Do you have any idea how well he plays in this position? Cheers.
BTW Whatever happened to the rumours that we were trying to sign Sean Scannell of Crystal Palace or the defender dubbed ‘The Elephant’ from Russia? I had heard that they were both very talented but nothing appears to have materialised.
Firsly he is more like Xavi, likes to sit a little deeper, rather than behind the forward.
Seems both were just paper talk
i really like the look of that sean scannel chap at palace, he runs all night only 17 as well. one for the future, he will defo go to a big club in next year
I’ve not seen a lot of Fran, but I have liked what I’ve seen, because not only has he got a lot of creative flair, he is also a hard worker. I thought he did well for Spain in that under 17 championship and it was his assist that led to the winning goal.
Cheers
Arsene should send Fran away for another year to strengthen him up. I really hope he fulfills his promise with us.
I dont see Randall, Gibbs or Simpson making it at the emirates so Merida, Wilshere and Lansbury are the ones Im looking out for.
J love the site, one small thing i think could improve the site is to make the link colour e.g.’four year contract with Arsenal’ a different colour its very hard to distinguish from the nornal texs.
Also how high do you rate benif abofe??? Excuse my terrible writing
Sanderson how do you see Arsenal’s future looking? Do you really think many of these players will actually make it or will any new singings like Ben Arfa realistically end any chances at all besides maybe one have at ever getting near the first team?
I mean we have so many youngsters who everyone says will be great, but only so many can play and with established players ahead of them and potentially more signings surely only one or two will really get anywhere at Arsenal.
I mean there’s so much talk of Merida, Lansbury and Wilshere but all 3 of those are central midfielders. Sure maybe one or two of those can play out wide or whatever, but we have wide players already, maybe they can play behind the striker but we have those too.
If you’re to be truly honest who do you think will actually make it properly into the squad for any length of time and challenge the first team?
Another example is upfront. Simpson, Barazite, Vela, Walcott, Bendtner are all very young strikers yet Bendtner is the only one who gets a game upfront relatively regularly and yet people say how great Barazite’s been, but he’s like our 6th odd choice striker next season, is there really any point?
I suppose in the case of Barazite he could be worth sticking with because if RvP continues to get injured so often then maybe he’ll get sold at the end of next season or the season after and I hear his fellow Dutchman has quite a bit in common, so he could take his spot, but that still leaves all the other strikers who surely can’t have a future.
Over-over-over-rated
What are you on about Jimbo you prat. Fran Merida over-rated? thats like saying Cesc was over-rated Barcelona rated Fran as highly if not higher than Cesc. Fran Merida is a younger version of Cesc they play the same way and im sure Fran will be great coming on for Cesc to give him a rest.
hey i remember you said vela was getting the 29 shirt when he returns, what about fran?
Merida is a combination of Rosicky/Hleb. He strikes the ball like Rosicky and has tricks/turns like Hleb. A very underrated prospect we have.
I have a feeling that if osasuna stay up then Fran might move in there to pick up the pieces when Vela leaves….. and i think givin him another season in top light spanish football will give us a better idea of whether or not he can hack it!
I guess the only worry will be that should he shine then the vultures will be out to get him and he will already be at home in Spain.
Top site mate!!
u mugs! this guys going to make a huge contribution. another gem from under the noses of Barcelona! future £50 million pound playa!
Merida has more potential than Fabregas, he’s that good.
His passing range is sensational and he’s very agile, he’s like Fabregas and Rosicky at the same time.
He’s a serious serious talent who has the world at his feet.
i really wonder why he wasnt to loaned to an english side to be ready physically
If you remember when the news broke that he was being loaned, Wenger said that he didnt really think a loan spell was needed, but when the offer came up.
It presented the chance to build links with Real, and he asked Fran if he wanted to go and Merida said yes.
I think the loan deal was more than just sending Fran out for some experience.
Mérida has a very average season i’m afraid at Spain. And Segunda like one of the poster stated above is competitive but the gap between EPL and Segunda is almost heaven and earth difference. Played totally opposite of EPL, with less pressing and much much open due to the 58 years mentality of Spain futbol. It isn’t nearly as physical. The reason he was loaned was one of Cagigao (who was appointed as the new Sociedad DOF)future planning for Sociedad. Mérida from what i’ve seen in the youth tournament and highlight for Segunda Division, is a very fragile, which lacking in pace, but blessed with great left foot and intelligent decision making. But what i most worried is inability to use his right foot, the contribution from his weaker foot is almost non existant.
Will he be a next superstar for Arsenal, personally i highly doubt that. He might turn his career around, so i wish him the best. Cesc for me is a one off, came only one in maybe 100,000 potential youngster. Very rare this day.
Betico, Sevilla.
I remember until very recently Merida was being written off by many as overrated and a player who didn’t have the stamina, speed and general physicality required for premiership football… What’s changed? Just because he played in a few games for Sociedad?
have to agree with sanderson on this one, fran is outragously talented and in the case of his diminutive size – he has the greater technical ability and intelligence to play at the top level – similar to the diminutive players playing in the league now – i.e fabregas, scholes, mascherano, tevez etc.
the pounds will come on soon – the important thing to note is – he has the ability to deliver. i personally reckon he’d supersede cesc in the free kick department he has a much better shot and a potentially better passing range
Off-subject. If anything is over-rated than it’s Rosicky’s shooting ability. When he came, people said he was like Gerrard in front of goal. He is more like Lampard, without his amazing luck. He scored against HSV, that was his only really good shot i remember.
But about Merida. I have only seen highlights from reserves games but this guy has some talent. He seems to me like an Alonso or a Xavi. His best position would be, in my opinion, as a distributor in a 3-man midfield. With Fabregas in front of him and somebody like Song behind him. That position does not exist at Arsenal, apart from couple of games a season. Therefore he has to be found a new position. He can be Cesc’s back-up but that will not give him that many games. Left midfield and RvP role seems to be what he will do.
I think he is a much better prospect than Diaby and Denilson, he might even be better than both of them already. I can’t see why he shouldn’t be able to fight for his place in the first team next season. He is not going to be a starter but a sensational player to have on the bench, available for many different positions.
The CC-squad next year will be very interesting. In my opinion, Nordtveit, Randall, Gibbs, Merida, Wilshere, Lansbury and Barazite all should be involved. But to bad there are to many midfielders. Maybe we should send some of them on loan this year too? Lansburys turn now?
Anyway, I’m excited that we can have 7 subs in the premiership next year. Should be possibilitys for atleast one youngster on the bench most of the games.
jay, thanks for info
From the reserve and first team football ive seen i rate him a MUCH bigger prospect than Randall.
So for me Randalls gotta be converted into a wide player, and Merida should be allowed to develop in the CC in the central area coz he does have the talent.
7subs in the EPL ??
When was this made official ?
Amazing how often we make a 15/16 year old signing and gooners come in moaning about signing experienced players. You have to think of this as a different department altogether. So now in 2008 it’s great to look at the signings from 4 years ago coming through the system: Clichy, Bendtner, Traore, etc. With prospects like Merida only 1 or 2 years away from making their mark, we wait with baited breath.
I kinda agree with that bettica bloke from Betis in regards to merida. Merida is a wonderful passer and seems to have a great technique but he is quite stationary and lacking in running power. That’s what makes Fabregas so special. He passes it and is constantly on the move. Merida seems to be more of a Beckham type who sprays balls around and sits in midfield. In contrast to Beckham though he is only 5 9″ so lacks that powerful stride of Beckham and physicality. Not sure how his style would work at Arsenal. I haven’t seen him that much but that’s my assessment from what i’ve seen.
i would be inclined to agree with wengers opinion that he is a very good player or will be rather than some people on this board who seem to think he wont be very good
we’ve got too many quality young midfielders coming through.
if we don’t find a way to let them all play, their development will get stifled. i worry for the likes of merida. we need more partner clubs willing to take and play groups of our kids, like birmingham taking muamba, larsson and bendtner last year. we can see how they do and cherry pick the best, but they all need to play.
to be fair, can you doubt arsne’s ability at picking talent – if he couldn’t run, if he was too small, if he didn’t have a right foot would he where he is now, so compared to alot of youngers out there seems like the boy has talent
plus that free kick against tottenham last year desrves a contract by itself!!!!
I think it’s very good how many good young midfielders we have. Of course it would be nice if some of them were defenders (we have Nordveit though), but all talent is welcome. It is obvious that in the long run, we can not keep Fabregas, Diaby, Denilson, Song, Gibbs, Randall, Merida, Traore, Lansbury, Wilshere and more. But it’s great to have all those options. Muamba was great to have. He looked liked he might make it but was a little bit short. So we sold him and got a nice sum for him. I think that Diaby, Gibbs and Randall will all leave the club within 2 years at most. It’s not that they are not good enough, it’s just that Wilshere, Lansbury and Merida all look much better, IMO.
It’s very interesting what Wenger said today [http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=491323&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Wenger+moves+to+bring+Vela+into+the+Arsenal+fold]. He says that he sees Vela as a centre forward but not a left winger. That brings us up to 6 strikers, not counting Barazite. Somebody of them just has to leave in the next 12 months. Personally, I could not care less if Ade leaves after next season, Bendtner will be better than him by then anyway.
the people asking where he will play must think hes 25 hes 18 years old.he has time on his side and will play where ever arsene tells him to play.silly comments from lots of people who have never seen him play.hes a special talent and will make it in to first team when he and arsene think he is ready.with both rosicky and rvp always injured this could be sooner than later.
Vela is highly talented, but, like Wenger said earlier, he needs to put on physically before he is ready to play at a higher level. If he was lon=aned to an English club the fear is that the thugs in the English game may effect his growth, both physically and mentally. It would be better, in my opinion, to let him grow at his pace. Wenger knows.
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fran will be a better player than cesc cos’ he has more to his game, he is faster than cesc, got a better shot (like van persie) same vision as cesc, this kid is awesome
he can play on the left or even on the right as he can cut it on his left foot.
you all talk about the “new” cesc?? Merida is a good player and he got a playing style who can look like fabregas but he got a own style and he wil be very good in some years!! It’s never going to be a new cesc… ONELY ONE CESC!!
Ive got a good feeling about Merida, hes better than Denilson in my opinion, although hes got some really tough compatition in Diaby and possibly Song although im 90% wenger sees Song as a defender now (Toure type at the back). But Randall, Landsbury, Emmanuel-Thomas and Wilshire are immensly talented aswell, and theres some good young players coming into the reserves next season who play central aswell i believe (although ive seen little of the u18s other than highlights on Arsenal TV).
Fran is a touch of class. I watched him closely during last years under 18s world cup. He’s a bigger player and as he matures he’s sure to add defensive qualities to his game. His frame coupled with his technique surely give him a good shot at making it at Arsenal.
arsen wenger should affloat the boy, he is extremely good, he has the potencial to be as good as messi, giovane or quaresma