Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta his too scared of signing a genuine No.9 and his bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins was nothing more than a PR stunt to appease supporters, so claims Troy Deeney.

However, the Serie A side insisted on an obligation to buy, which Arsenal weren’t willing to commit to, given their focus on securing their primary striker targets in the summer

Arteta was thankful for his namesake, Mikel Merino, as the emergency striker delivered the goods late on for Arsenal.