MERINO - BEST ARSENAL PLAYER OF 2025?

Fresh from a cold open training session at London Colney, Simon Collings (The Standard) joins host Jacob Hawley for a new episode of The Dugout. The pair dissect the “gut punch” defeat at Villa Park, analyzing how the match descended into an “Unai Emery basketball game” and asking the big question: Can this team survive the winter without the aura of Gabriel and William Saliba? On the agenda: Defensive Frailties: Analyzing the makeshift backline and Hincapié’s adjustment to the Premier League. The Eze Debate: Is he struggling to adapt to the system, or does he just need time like Declan Rice did? Odegaard’s Role: Why Arsenal need the 15-goal version of their captain back. Squad Rotation: Looking ahead to Club Brugge—will Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly finally get minutes? The Striker Situation: Gyökeres’ fitness, the Jesus wildcard, and the Noni Madueke conundrum. Simon’s Hot Take: Why he is doubling down on his prediction that Arsenal will win the league by 10 points. We hope you loved this one! x IF YOU WANT THE ADVERT FREE VERSION OF THIS PLEASE SIGN UP HERE: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All the boys are on for this one… and it was a horrible afternoon. We got into: 🎩 Odegaard’s performance 💣 Viktor’s disaster cameo 💀 The last-minute killer blow 🚨 Defensive chaos across the pitch 👊 Unai’s revenge tour rolling on Take a listen. IF YOU WANT THE ADVERT FREE VERSION OF THIS RIGHT AFTER THE GAME PLEASE SIGN UP HERE: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was a GLORIOUS no-drama kind of evening against Brentford which made for GOOD discussion. Pedro, Matt, and Johnny discussed: 🛡️ Best defence on the planet with another clean sheet 👑 KING MERINO OWNING THE 9 SHIRT 💀 Injury curse ramps up – Dekkers and Mosquera struck down 😬 Chelsea and Liverpool have shockers 🎩 Martin Odegaard and his OK return Enjoy the podcast, thanks for being a member! IF YOU WANT THE ADVERT FREE VERSION OF THIS RIGHT AFTER THE GAME PLEASE SIGN UP HERE: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pedro and Jacob dive into a nervy but valuable midweek win over Brentford, unpacking: 🔥 How Arsenal completely neutralised Brentford’s set-piece circus 💪 Merino’s outrageous form and whether he’s now undroppable 😬 Declan’s calf tweak, Mosquera’s knock, and the growing fitness crisis 🤕 Arteta’s rotation choices and the training-ground intensity debate 📉 Why Odegaard divides the fanbase despite strong numbers ⚡️ Noni Madueke: chaos merchant, future star, or finishing project? 🧱 Timber at centre-back and the state of the stand-in defence 🤝 Which attacker combinations actually work 📦 January loans: where should Berta strengthen? A lively, honest therapy session on a performance that gave us three points… and three new worries. Tap in and get your head straight for Villa away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rough afternoon at The Bridge, but a point gained. We discuss: 🔵 Caicedo madness 🤕 Arteta making the same fitness mistakes 😬 Madueke getting overawed 🥶 Myles having another poor game 🐺 MERINO DOING BIG DOG THINGS 🟥 Arsenal letting Chelsea off 10 men Enjoy the listen! x ____________________________ 🎧 IF YOU WANT THIS CONTENT AD FREE AND ALL THE BONUS THINGS LIKE NICE WRITING, EXTRA CONTENT, AND A VERY GOOD DISCORD, PICK YOUR OPTION BELOW: WRITING + AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.le-grove.co.uk/8c0cfff5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jacob Hawley is back in the Dugout with Telegraph football reporter Sam Dean to break down one of the biggest weeks in the Arteta era. Fresh off dismantling Spurs and putting Bayern Munich in a chokehold at the Emirates, the lads get stuck into the big question: is this the best-coached team in Europe? We talk through: 🔥 Bayern Demolition: Why Arsenal’s set-piece storm, tactical adaptability, and elite squad depth left Bayern scrambling. 🎯 Eze and Martinelli Link-Up: Two massive games, two massive moments… the new double act delivering on the biggest stages. 🏋️ Declan Rice Masterclass: Is Rice the most influential player in Europe right now? 🔁 The Number Nine Debate: Sam Dean drops a scorching take on Jesus, Mourinho, and whether Arsenal really need a new striker. 👶 The Kids Are Fine: Miles Lewis-Skelly and Mosquera at Champions League level. The future is silly. 📈 The Arteta Evolution: A squad that can beat you any way it wants, with elite depth and total tactical control. Plus all the usual chaos, jokes, therapy, and the best Arsenal chat you will hear this week. ____________________________ 🎧 IF YOU WANT THIS CONTENT AD FREE AND ALL THE BONUS THINGS LIKE NICE WRITING, EXTRA CONTENT, AND A VERY GOOD DISCORD, PICK YOUR OPTION BELOW: WRITING + AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.le-grove.co.uk/8c0cfff5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve moved therapy to Tuesday, but who needs therapy when you’ve just walloped Spurs 4-1? Matt Kandela and Jacob Hawley join the show to joy-scroll through the wreckage of Tottenham’s season and ask the big questions: Are we now culturally bigger than Real Madrid? And have we accidentally become the “Heavyweights” of world football? In this episode: ⚪️ Spurs in the Mud: We drink in the “sheer misery” of the Tottenham fan reaction videos and why watching them suffer is better than therapy. 🦊 The Trossard Cult: Why the “Silver Fox” is statistically our most productive attacker and why signing him over Mudryk might define the entire Arteta era. 🔥 Captain in Crisis? The hottest take of the week: With Eze playing with such swagger and goal threat, does Martin Odegaard walk back into this team? 🔁 Disrespecting Bayern: The debate on whether we should rotate heavily (start Myles Lewis-Skelly!) against Bayern Munich to save our legs for Chelsea. 🧱 Broken Benny Blanco: Timber is the best right-back in the league, so are we approaching the end of the road for Ben White? 💰 Greed is Good: Why we are not settling for a draw at Stamford Bridge. We want all three points to fuel the dynasty. _______________________________________________ 🎧 IF YOU WANT THIS CONTENT AD FREE AND ALL THE BONUS THINGS LIKE NICE WRITING, EXTRA CONTENT, AND A VERY GOOD DISCORD, PICK YOUR OPTION BELOW: WRITING + AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.le-grove.co.uk/8c0cfff5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PEDRO AND MATT WENT LIVE AFTER THE GAME TO BREAK DOWN A HUGE WIN UNDER THE LIGHTS AT A FOG-FILLED EMIRATES 🌫️⚽️ ⭐ PRAISE THE MAGNIFICENCE OF EZE 🐺 CELEBRATE ROTTWEILER DECLAN 🎯 ASSESS THE FREAK GOAL 📊 TALK ABOUT SPURS TACTICS AND THEIR HOPES MOVING FORWARD 😡 CHAT ABOUT RICHARLISON AND HOW ANNOYING HE IS 🛡️ WAX ABOUT JURRIEN 🔄 CONSIDER ROTATION OPTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD HOPE YOU ENJOY THE SHOW! X _______________________________________________ 🎧 IF YOU WANT THIS CONTENT AD FREE AND ALL THE BONUS THINGS LIKE NICE WRITING, EXTRA CONTENT, AND A VERY GOOD DISCORD, PICK YOUR OPTION BELOW: WRITING + AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.le-grove.co.uk/8c0cfff5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s episode, Pete and Jacob limp out of the international break with bruised mouths, bruised lineups, and bruised optimism ahead of a monster North London Derby. We get into: 🧟‍♂️ Injury apocalypse Gabriel’s abductor blow, the real timeline, and how this derails Arsenal’s December monster run. 🧩 Who replaces Big Gabi? Calafiori at CB? Mosquera time? Hincapié wildcard? Or will Arteta go full galaxy brain? 🎨 Odegaard’s colour palette Why Arsenal look black-and-white without him and Technicolor with him. The weird, wrong online takes. 🇩🇪 Bundesliga myth-busting + Jude Bellingham debate Is Germany too soft a league? Why some stars flop in England. Is Jude a “moment player”? 🔥 Saka and Eze cooking for England Lovely… but Arsenal need that heat right now. Especially with the fixture pile-up. 🤕 Kai Havertz concerns The fitness worries, the durability question, and whether the Sesko vs Gyökeres conversation looks different now. 🧱 Are Arsenal inevitable? Three seasons of elite consistency. When patience runs out for top players. Why this season feels like destiny. 👶 Hale End and the teen minutes conundrum Miles, Ethan, Max — development vs pressure vs loan ideals. Arteta’s philosophy laid bare. ⚔️ North London Derby preview Where Spurs are soft. Where Arsenal must be ruthless. And why this will come down to Saka, Eze, or a Hale Ender with main-character energy. A lively, chaotic, derby-week episode filled with anxiety, tactics, agendas, optimism, and fear. Exactly how it should be. 🎧 IF YOU WANT THIS CONTENT AD FREE AND ALL THE BONUS THINGS LIKE NICE WRITING, EXTRA CONTENT, AND A VERY GOOD DISCORD, PICK YOUR OPTION BELOW: WRITING + AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.le-grove.co.uk/8c0cfff5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Dugout edition of The Arsenal Opinion Podcast, Jacob Hawley takes the hosting seat and welcomes Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Athletic for a deep dive into the North London Derby build-up. Across a lively and insightful conversation, they explore: Tottenham through the eyes of someone who covers them, not supports them, striking the perfect balance for Arsenal listeners. How international breaks shape narratives, coaching trends, and fan expectations, including the role of throw-ins, set pieces, and Premier League punditry. Why international football may actually feel more expressive than club football right now. The shift from superstar match-winners to tactical systems in the modern Premier League. A spicy segment on Declan Rice’s best role, as Jack delivers his Hottest of Takes. A measured, slightly worried look at Arsenal’s injury-stricken attack heading into the Derby. And finally, Jack’s score prediction, which tries (and fails) to keep Spurs fans optimistic. This one blends tactics, narrative, nostalgia, and Derby-day tension. A perfect warm-up for the weekend. 🎧 IF YOU WANT THIS CONTENT AD FREE AND ALL THE BONUS THINGS LIKE NICE WRITING, EXTRA CONTENT, AND A VERY GOOD DISCORD, PICK YOUR OPTION BELOW: WRITING + AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArsenalOpinion AUDIO + VIDEO: https://www.le-grove.co.uk/8c0cfff5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices