Journalist Tomas Roncero of AS urged Arsenal to loan Spanish central midfielder Mikel Merino to Real Madrid and questioned why the midfielder was on the bench. In an interview with Goles con Parrado, Merino's father, Miguel, stated that his son is at a club competing for everything, which is what he wanted when he left Real Sociedad. Miguel Merino also commented that Madrid's technical staff made a respectable decision to opt for a different player profile.