Leeds United-linked playmaker Fran Merida was described by Arsene Wenger as “absolutely amazing” when he first moved from Spain to England as a teenager.
Merida signed for Arsenal aged 15 after being plucked from the Barcelona academy but he struggled to make an impression and left five years later after just 16 first-team appearances.
The Mail claim that Championship leaders Leeds are compiling a dossier on Osasuna’s Merida after scouting his last two matches as they continue to look at players who can take their side to the next level.
Merida, 27, is a central midfield playmaker who shares many of the qualities of his countryman Samuel Saiz, who has made such a big impact at Leeds since his £3million summer transfer from Huesca.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger predicted huge things for Merida after he signed a long-term deal with the Gunners in 2008.
“He is a very fine player,” Wenger was quoted by Sky Sports’ website in April 2008 as saying, “He is one for the future. The reports I have from Spain are that he does well every time he plays.
“Fran is very technical. He still needs to grow physically but football-wise there is no problem. He is an absolutely amazing player.”
OPINION
When Merida arrived at the Arsenal academy from Barcelona aged 16, he was immediately hailed as the new Cesc Fabregas. It was an obvious link, not just in terms of their shared journeys but also their playing styles. Like Fabregas, Merida was a diminutive playmaker who had the passing range to die for and the A-grade technical quality that is the hallmark of a generation of Spaniards. Despite Wenger’s admiration, Merida was unable to hit the ground running in his teens like Fabregas and quit for Atletico Madrid in 2010 with his confidence shot. He has rebuilt his career after spells in Brazil and at various Spanish clubs, and is now a regular at Osasuna in the wake of their relegation last season to the Spanish second division. With his knowledge of the English game and peak-year maturity, Merida could be another super-smart acquisition for Leeds in the mould of Saiz, who has left some onlookers open-mouthed with his ability since his summer arrival.