Mikel Merino After Pre-season Loss to Spurs: "It's the Gasoline for the 2025-26 Season"

Arsenal midfielder reflects on derby defeat, fan connection, and pre-season purpose

After a narrow defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on unfamiliar ground, Mikel Merino didn’t dwell on disappointment. The Spanish midfielder approached the moment with clarity, choosing to focus on growth, purpose, and the journey that lies ahead rather than the final score.

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Speaking after Arsenal’s 1-0 loss in Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park, the first North London Derby ever staged outside the UK, Merino pointed beyond the scoreline to the substance that really fuels a pre-season.

“It’s not the result we wanted,” the Spaniard admitted as Arsenal.com quoted, reflecting with clarity rather than regret. “Obviously, winning is a priority for us, but in pre-season, there are other things that have a lot of value, like getting fit, keeping that connection with the fans here in this amazing city.”

And it wasn’t a match without merit. From the outset, Arsenal looked the more assertive side, dictating possession and pinning Spurs back for long stretches. Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka created opportunities, and debutants showed flashes of promise.

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But a controversial first-half stoppage-time goal from Pape Sarr, a long-range effort following what appeared to be a foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly, ultimately sealed the outcome.

Still, Merino viewed the experience not as a misstep, but as motivation. “This feeling is going to be the gasoline for the season,” he said. “To keep growing, keep learning, and hopefully go upwards.”

A Tour That Meant More

The match capped a two-week Asia Tour that saw the Gunners welcomed with open arms in Singapore and Hong Kong. For Merino, the cultural exchange and global support left a lasting impression.

“The support has been amazing throughout the whole tour,” he said, visibly moved by the fan presence. “Thank you very much to the whole fan base, because I know it's hard for them to support us during the season, sometimes with times that are not ideal for them. But thank you very much because it was lovely.”

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For many Arsenal fans in Asia, this was their first live glimpse of the team they follow through time zones and screen fatigue. The response? Sold-out stadiums, thousands at open training sessions, endless red shirts, and it was nothing short of overwhelming.

“It was an amazing two weeks,” Merino added. “You come to these kind of tours with a lot of excitement… time to discover new places, new parts of the world for us. And at the same time, show what Arsenal is, the culture, the family we are, in a different country.”

Eyes Forward

While Tottenham took the headlines this time, Arsenal return to London with more than luggage and match footage. They carry sharp lessons and stronger legs. There’s a hunger Merino alluded to, the type that’s often born from narrow defeats and unfinished business.

As the Premier League opener against Manchester United draws closer, Merino and his teammates will be working behind closed doors to translate these preseason moments into meaningful results. If the derby loss felt like a setback, it was also, in Merino’s words, a spark.

A spark he intends to turn into fuel.