Arsenal lead title retention odds as United, Chelsea and Celtic fuel busy transfer and prediction talk

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente called it an 'honour' to coach Mikel Merino after the Arsenal midfielder came off the bench to score twice as Spain beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League. Merino now has five goals in his last eight Spain appearances, every one of them as a substitute. De la Fuente said Merino 'has the class to play in any team' and urged Spanish fans to give the 30-year-old more recognition.

Merino had also scored as a substitute in Spain's 3-1 win over Czechia the previous weekend, cementing his reputation as the world's most effective impact substitute.