-0.61goals above what the league converts the same chances into
Build-up per 90
0.343% of Arsenal’s build-up value
league 0.24
Mikel Merino ranks 14th of 398 qualified players for attacking involvement, shooting from 13.2m on average, with 35% of their danger coming from set pieces. They carry 6% of Arsenal’s attacking involvement, the 9th largest share in the squad.
Against their position
109 forwards
Shooting
per 90
Goals
0.3671st
Non-penalty goals
0.3678th
xG
0.4778th
Non-penalty xG
0.4783rd
Shots
1.9843rd
npxG per shot
0.2496th
Shot distance
13.2m77th
Set-piece share
35%83rd
Goals against xG
-1.243rd
2 figures here come from match-event data, which is not recorded for 2025/26.
Creating
per 90
Assists
0.2791st
Expected assists
0.2176th
Key passes
1.0860th
npxG + xA
0.6789th
xG chain
0.7585th
xG build-up
0.3489th
Assists against xA
+0.786th
On the ball
per 90
6 figures here come from match-event data, which is not recorded for 2025/26.
Defending
per 90
Recoveries
5.0174th
Defensive contribution
9.9373rd
7 figures here come from match-event data, which is not recorded for 2025/26.
Discipline
per 90
Yellow cards
1season count
Red cards
0season count
3 figures here come from match-event data, which is not recorded for 2025/26.
Ranked against 109 forwards with half a match a round or more, the same comparison the compare page makes. Where less is better, such as being dispossessed, the order is turned round, so a high percentile is always the good end. Recoveries and defensive contribution come from the FPL feed and are ranked in its own positions.
This week
Gameweek 7
Next fixture
Gameweek 7
away toNottingham Forest
Sun 18 Oct, 15:30 UTC
Nottingham Forest concede 13.3 shots a match and are 1.05× the league norm against forwards. Roughly an average matchup.
Projected shots
2.08
1.98 per 90 × 1.05
Projected on target
0.73
0.72 per 90 × 1.02
Season rate times what this opponent concedes, over a full ninety minutes. Check availability.
Shots
22 appearances
Over 0.513 of 2259%± 10
Over 1.56 of 2227%± 9
Over 2.53 of 2214%± 7
Over 3.50 of 220%± 0
The band is one standard error, the tick the estimate. Blanks count as misses, 9 of 22.
Mikel Merino, 2025/26, final 35m. A further 5% of their shots came from outside this window.
left
6%
Centre
62%
right
32%
share of their shooting xG
Chance profile
quality, volume and route
xG per shot
0.237
Shots per 90
1.98
Key passes per 90
1.08
Average shot distance
13.2m
From set pieces
35%
How the chances arrive
Crosses
0%
Through balls
0%
Own dribble
0%
Headed
30%
Club role
Arsenal
What they are for
When it mattered4 of 4 goals came with the game level or Arsenal behind.
On the pitch29% of available minutes.
What would actually have to be replaced. Losing the penalty taker is not the same as losing a proportional slice of Mikel Merino’soutput.
Chances received
who supplies them
Kai Havertz0.7 xG1 shot, 0g
Bukayo Saka0.6 xG3 shots, 1g
Ben White0.4 xG1 shot, 1g
Declan Rice0.4 xG3 shots, 1g
Leandro Trossard0.1 xG1 shot, 0g
Chances created
who they supply
Gabriel Jesus0.9 xG1 shot, 0g
Bukayo Saka0.5 xG2 shots, 2g
Leandro Trossard0.4 xG2 shots, 1g
Martín Zubimendi0.2 xG1 shot, 0g
Ethan Nwaneri0.1 xG1 shot, 0g
Season record
2025/26
Involvement in build-up
excludes their own shots and final passes
Mikel Merino carries 3.0%of Arsenal’s build-up value.
Build-up per 900.342
89% of forwards
Possession value per 900.752
84% of forwards
Ranked against 109 forwards with a comparable sample. Build-up is the value of possessions a player was involved in, with their own shots and final passes removed, so it credits the work before the chance rather than the chance.
Match by match
Match log
22 appearances, oldest first
over 1.5
v Forest1 shot 1 on target
1g
at Newcastle1 shot 1 on target
v West Ham2 shots 0 on target
at Sunderland1 shot 0 on target
v Spurs1 shot 0 on target
1g
at Chelsea3 shots 2 on target
1g
v Brentford3 shots 1 on target
v Wolves1 shot 0 on target
v Brighton2 shots 0 on target
at Bournemouth2 shots 1 on target
at Forest1 shot 0 on target
1g
v Man Utd3 shots 2 on target
at Palace1 shot 0 on target
9 blanksno shot not placed
Height is shots, solid is on target, and the dashed rule is the 1.5 line. The feed cannot date an appearance with no shot in it, so 9 sits at the end, counted but unplaced.
How to read the ties. Each rate ties back to the league average: solid where the sample is settled, broken where it is still being shrunk toward the league, an open circle where there is no cohort to rank against.
