Arsenal play-maker Fran Mérida admits he is keen force his way into the Gunners first-team, in a week which saw his agent claim the Spaniard was on the verge of a return to Real Sociedad.
Fran played 60 minutes of the Reserves on Tuesday evening and although he had only been training for 10 days, put in a fantastic performance in a 4-0 win. The 18 year old gave a full interview with Arsenal.com this week and looked back on his previous stay with the Basque club.
“I worked my way into the team and from there my experience was very good. I got new friends, too, so in general it was a very good time for me.
“Playing professionally is a new situation, one where you play in front of 25,000 people, one with pressure from press and fans every single week. I am not saying it is better than reserve football here because you learn so much, but it is different.”
He was then quizzed about his return to North London following the UEFA Under 19 Championships, and after bagging a goal in the final group game, the former Barcelona starlet was named in the tournaments ‘Future Stars’. Mérida enthuses he is still unsure over his future, but is ‘happy’ to be back with Arsenal.
“It fills me happiness that I am at Arsenal, a great club and one of the best for young people, I will keep going with what I do best and going into my third season I have the feeling that I want to make it here.
“I haven’t had a chance to speak with Arsène Wenger but I have been training with the physio to improve my fitness levels. I don’t know if we will sit down and talk next week or the next, but the most important thing is for me to be back working with the team.
“I feel very good and I’m full of enthusiasm for the new season.”
Further negotiations over a potential loan agreement are set to take place, but with Real Sociedad wanting to include an option to buy next summer, it appears the deal has hit the buffers.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Surely you could’ve just linked to arsenal.com
I did link to them, check the article
Good on you Fran!!! We’re all hoping that you stay coz you’ll be a great player for Arsenal in the very near future!!! Good luck in whatever you do in the coming season!
NOOOO! Personally I would like to see Fran stay with us and make some progress through the Arsenal teams. He looks a Quality player and could be Fabregas’s replacement when/if he leaves in a couple of years. Merida, Barizite and Norviedt are the future spine of Arsenal and I look forward to seeing them lift some trophy’s in 3/4 years time.
Am I hearing the under-text here that Ramsey is a better player than Fran? If Ramsey is ready to start at 17, why isn’t Fran ready at 18? Why would he get loaned out when we seem to have a small midfield crisis (albeit short-term)?
I hope Fran stays he is more experienced u can say than Ramsey though I won’t like to say who will be better. I think Merida should be given a chance as he could prove better than Randall. Randall looked composed when he got the ball yesterday but Merida is better at passing. Here’s hoping. Real know what a good player he will be so I don’t blame them really.
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I really want him, Barazite and Norveit to make it at arsenal as i feel they are the best youngsters we have at reserve level and with the most potential IMO. They should all go out on loan for the seaon and come back when they’re 19 like Vela and be ready to fight for a 1st team place. Having any of them leave the club permanently should be out of the question. I hope to see them go out on loan to a top flight team in either England, Spain or Holland.
This kid should be ahead of Randall and maybe even Ramsay.
Wenger must doubt his stamini and overall physical presence. Has to be the reason.
I’m shocked that merida has not been enlisted in the first team. Personally i feel he is a better player than ramsey, futhermore i beleive he has more potential.
What do you think j?
He may want to play first team footb all at Arsenal but i personally cannot see where he would play in the starting IX
A 17-year old from Cardiff starts in the Champion League games, whereas an 18-year old from Barcelona has trouble getting in the first team. As much as Wenger is a wonderful Manager, does anybody think the press and the “Lack-of-English” articles have had a role on this?.
He wont make it at arsenal
No Seedorf. I think it is more to do with the fact Ramsay has had a full preseason whereas Merida is only back in training 10days after being given an extended holiday due to the Under19 championships (much like Cesc).
Neal S is right about the U-19 Euros hindering Merida’s pre-season.
To be honest I can’t see Merida playing as a CM unless Cesc leaves at some point in the future (or if one of them becomes a defensive midfielder), so I’d expect him to play on the LW which is where I think he plays for Spain U-19 as well.
Isn’t Cardiff in Wales?
I don’t know why people putting players ahead of each other? Ramsey, Merida and Randall are all different kind of players and will be used differently. I personally prefer another loan spell because at the moment he needs to play every week. I also would like to see him work on his versatility, Vela played a whole season as left winger, I would like to see Merida play a whole season as right midfielder.
Good. I want to see him involved in carlin cup this season. Maybe a loan move second half of the season but i want too see him startin some games. Massive potential and i cant understand why he hasnt had more chances. Hopefully this season he’ll really start to get them.
Also, u can say Ramsey needs to be played cuz he cost us big money, but dnt forget we ended up havin to pay 3.2 million compensation (he was ordered to pay it and we ended up payin most of it).
I noticed this guy for a long time ago, and I haverarely seen anyone so good in the midfield, I can tell you guys, Merida will soon be in our team..
I think if he goes on loan again in likelihood he won’t make it here. He needs to show Wenger that he can cut it against premier opposition. Because that’s the doubt i think.
Given that Cesc and Merida are so similar i dont see why Wenger wont put him into the first team soon. They had almost identical footballing education at Barca after which Wenger convinced them their future lay here. When Cesc got into the team he was younger than Fran is now and look how well he did. In light of Fabregas’ injury couldn’t Merida step in for the time being. What do you think J?
yes great news…i think he is much better than denilson or diaby
I think he is one of the best young talents we have had since Cesc, i think given a chance this season he will overtake the likes of denilson, diabi and ramsey, and become competition for cesc in the furture.
he could be moulded to play on the right and cut in like hleb. so maybe he will play alongside cesc.
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Wenger knows that adding another inexperienced 18 year old to our already very inexperienced midfield isn’t smart, it isn’t about him not being ready at all, it’s about experience.
He may have more potential than Ramsey but would loaning out someone as talented as Ramsey, after just paying £5m for them, be smart? Ramsey wouldn’t have even joined us if that was the plan.
This way, we have Mérida and Ramsey, 18 and 19 next year, a year of frist team football under their belt and experience too, it’s the right thing to do.
Mérida won’t leave on a permanent deal, no way.
i like him a lot but hes not gonna get much football this season, so he should take a lone spell were he will get more games , i would also like know why we have not seen barazite in any of the preseason games, he is my pick of the young players to make it in the first team
“They had almost identical footballing education at Barca”
So? Wilshere and Bentley came through the same system, one will be a star, the other will be lucky to make it into any sort of European competetion if possible. Soldado and Parejo got the same education at Real, ones in a league winning side, the other at QPR.
Merida isn’t playing because of his lack of fitness and because Ramsey is a high profile signing we want to show off. I fully expect Merida to make his way from the reserves to the first team by the end of the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets used on the right wing a bit if he continues to impress, knowing the failures of Eboue and also Wenger’s love of developing players in positions unnatural to them. If Theo and Eboue are injured or in shocking form (and Nasri is needed on the left), I think this could happen.
God , the scale of this speculation. The season is on us and we lack a defensive midfielder of power experience and quality _ thats a simple fact.As for Merida ,Ramsey Wilshire etc lets hope one at least of them is the real deal and not another Denilson ,who is quite good but clearly not as good as Essien and Anderson.
sorry off topic guys. u gotta feel sorry for this wally in a brolly hahahahaha
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=F8oN58cyp2c
Wenger could decide to keep him as cover for Fabregas I mean while I haven’t seen alot of Merida, I have heard him to be in the same regard as Cesc. I mean if Fabregas was pushing for a place at 16/17 then why can’t Fran push at 18. Same goes for Wilshere at 16 and Coquilin at 16 or 17. Even though let’s be honest Cesc Fabregas was an exceptional talent and one that comes across only once in a while.
Also with regards to a new signing. It looks as though Senseros will be out for a while and I’ve always thought that signing a centre back like Zapata or Kompany and moving Toure or Song as a defensive midfielder would be a great idea while also not entirally saying to the likes of Denilson, Ramsey or Diaby that you’re not good enough or you won’t get chances.
I am so glad that Merida is staying. I can´t see any reason why he should not be in the squad against WBA, other than if he is not fit enough. I got a little shock yesterday when Denilson picked up a knock. If he had gone of the pitch, we would have played Randall and Ramsey in the middle. We do not have any midfielders at the moment. We have plenty of options but they are all in the Olympics or injured. I think Merida could even start ahead of Ramsey this weekend, although I doubt it.
I think of Fran as an identical player to Xabi Alonso. They are both great passers of the ball but I think Merida has better shots. If he can improve his defending, he can be a contender for the midfield place alongside Cesc.
Btw. I don´t like Diaby at all. I do not want that guy in the Arsenal team. Sooner or later he will seriously hurt somebody with his clumsiness (he already pulled it on Sneijder). To think that Diaby could be our DM is almost laughable in my opinion, with all respect.
I think if Fran Marida was really that good Arsene Wenger would not loan him out because most top young players are in or around the first team at that age anyway because Jack Wilshere who is almost 2 years younger than his is, now i am not saying he wont go on to be a player but if he was the next best thing Arsene Wenger would be talking him up all the time but instead he wants to loan him out same goes to Nacer Barazite as well IMO
ive seen clips of fran n i think he plays the same way as fabby and if we put fabby and fran together in central role they would do reaily well but i think he needs to be loaned to an english club to get more of a feel about english football but barazite needs to be loaned out coz hes at the stage of beening in a 1st team sqaud or a sub but all an all i think that jay simpson is the player we need to have in sub because hes young quick ive seen him play at millwall last year and he was reaily good now if arsene looks at the youth for a year he will say what a perfect time to bring most of them through
Fran and Barazite I agree with the consensus need to go out on loan and preferably to a championship or if possible premiership team (would rather a good championship team who play footie in all honesty like reading or southampton). One year there could improve them tenfold to the english mentality and also not uproot them from england. Though Wenger has stated on record how he rates Merida and also Barazite I very much doubt they’ll leave. I do think that if they were good enough they’d be contesting in the first team though.
I simply think we have in a way too many youngsters for Wenger to keep happy. Barazite has Vela competing effectiely and Fran let’s say Ramsey. To keep them happy he has to give these two talents first team football somewhere. I kinda wish we had an ‘understanding’ with someone like QPR or Palace so they didn’t have to get up and leave London whilst playing competitive football. it’s clear to see though that Gibbs, Simpson and Wilshere will be competing for the subs bench positions. I thinik next year will be Barazites and Merida’s chance to compete in the first team otherwise I reckon Wenger might lose them.
“So? Wilshere and Bentley came through the same system, one will be a star, the other will be lucky to make it into any sort of European competetion if possible. Soldado and Parejo got the same education at Real, ones in a league winning side, the other at QPR.”
Ok…Samuel.
N.1 I dont like Bentley, but he is talented and would have made it here if he had shown some patience, we didnt get shot of him, he fucked off…
N.2 From what i understand hes on loan at QPR, they havent bought him. They have alot of cash now and Real probably wanted to loan him out for experiance, and QPR put their money where their mouth was. Hes a good player… duno if he’ll make it at Real but hes decent and definatly not jusr Championship standard.
Other than that i agree with everything you said…
Just an added and completely irrelivant comment. How the fuck did all these players get injured. They all came back to training and looked OK in the matches, and now Sendaros, Fabregas, Nasri and Diaby are all out. Not to mention Toure who was struggling, Eduardo and Rosicky who where already out.
As for Bischoff, how is he injured, i thought he had to prove his fitness? If he did that, how did he go from proving fitness, to having a groin strain with out playing a match or as far as i know even training.
AT LEAST LET HIM PROVE HIMSELF IN THE CARLING CUP
I would like to see him stay personally
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Merida’s season will be disrupted next season as well because he will probably be picked for Spain’s U20 squad for Egypt 2009 in the summer.
kent paul, Wenger loaned Merida out probably because he is not physically ready, Youth cup team was knocked & he didnt want him to keep playing in the reserves, short on experience and also because Wenger had wrongly decided to play experienced players in the CC semi-final instead of the youngguns that got us there.
I as just thinking whats all the fuss with loaning. I know it can be a vital part in a young players education but why is it only some players? Did Fabregas go out on loan. I dont think he did. As much as i can remember he made a few 1st team appearances and all of a sudden he one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Wenger doesn’t seem to be loaning Wilshere, Randall, Nordveit or Barazite. Hopefully its because he sees in them what he saw in Cesc and they turn out as good as him, But who knows? Lets hope its another case of Arsene Knows.
i dont think u can loan out 16 year olds anyway i think u have 2 b 17
Arsene Wenger would never loan out Jack Wilshere when he turns 17 IMO
just let fran stay and play in the carling this year cos we do need him.he’s got the needed confy to stand in on the left wing and can a stand by string puller for nasri and cesc