Arsenal star Mikel Merino has opened up about the moment that he believed the Gunners would win their first Premier League title in 22 years.
The Spaniard picked up a serious injury in January that looked to rule him out of the season, but miraculously fought to play in Arsenal's final league game of the season and earn a place in Luis de la Fuente's World Cup squad.
Speaking now to The Player's Tribune, Merino has reflected on his 2026 and cited a reaction after the disappointing draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers as the moment he truly realised that his side would become champions in May.
“In my view, that was the day we won the title” Arsenal's Mikel Merino on Wolves reaction
After going two goals up against Wolves in February, Arsenal conceded a late equaliser, courtesy of a mix-up between David Raya and Gabriel – with Merino claiming that the players sought to repair the damage among themselves to take the strain off manager Mikel Arteta.
“One slip, and all we heard was ‘same old Arsenal,’” Merino said. “To be honest, there were doubts inside the team too. Giving away a 2–0 lead should never happen.
“But the day after the game, the players had a meeting inside the dressing room, without the boss. Everyone spoke up. Nobody talked about tactics. This was about how a group of human beings handle adversity together.
“I spoke about how I saw the team from the outside, and I said that this was something we as players had to handle, because the boss couldn’t do everything for us. When one person has so many tasks at one club, you need leaders who can figure things out on their own.
“Well, at this club, we do. In my view, that was the day we won the title. Even when we lost to Bournemouth and City, that meeting kept us together.”
With social media permeating the inner sanctum of the Gunners' London Colney base, Merino also revealed that his team-mates used the criticism towards them as fuel to end the club's long title drought – including one Manchester City fan who was pictured with an Arsenal bottle.
“We were bottlers. Runners-up. Second, second, second. Boring. Set-piece team. Couldn’t score from open play. Couldn’t handle the pressure. When they questioned our professionalism, we grew even closer,” Merino continued.
“The guy with the bottle on TV? We just laughed. ‘Bantah,’ like the English say.
“The boss was on fire. Every team talk, he reached into our hearts. He spoke about looking out for one another, like a family. The culture we have is thanks to him. Even when the world expected us to collapse, I felt confident that the title would be ours.”
Arsenal travel to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, as Champions League action continues at the Allianz Arena.
