Source: Telegraph
Arsenal's Fran Mérida sets his sights on a firstteam place
The 19-year-old Spain youth international joined Arsenal from Barcelona's academy in September 2005 - a move which proved controversial and resulted in legal action being taken against the player for compensation. [LNB]Since then, Mérida has looked to gain experience at Real Sociedad before returning to Arsenal and making his Premier League debut. [LNB] Related ArticlesTheo Walcott set for City injury returnJohan Djourou out for six monthsArsenal complain to AmazonFerguson: Eduardo ban correct'Big Four' attract flak in global talent pursuitSport on televisionAfter impressing in the pre-season Emirates Cup and coming off the bench in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth last month, Mérida hopes this can be his breakthrough campaign and intends to repay the faith shown by manager Arsène Wenger. [LNB]"I am 100% staying," Mérida said. "It is true that I had an option to go out on loan. But I, the boss, my agent and my family decided that the best thing for me is to stay here. The boss told me he believes in me, and the only thing I can do now is prove it on the pitch and repay that faith. [LNB]"My target is to help as much as possible to get trophies. I truly believe we have a fantastic chance. We have started well; we must keep that going, because we haven't done anything yet." [LNB]Wenger will be hoping the international break is kind on his globe-trotting squad, as Arsenal look to continue their decent start to the campaign at Manchester City on Saturday. [LNB]Captain Cesc Fàbregas appears to have shaken off the hamstring problem which forced him to miss both the second leg of the Champions League qualifier against Celtic and the defeat to Manchester United. [LNB]The midfielder was a second-half substitute when Spain beat Belgium 5-0 on Saturday, and could feature again for Vicente del Bosque's side at home to Estonia. [LNB]Russian Andrei Arshavin may play some part against Wales after recovering from a groin problem. [LNB]England winger Theo Walcott is hopeful of a return following back problems, which meant he has yet to be involved this season and was ruled out of contention for the World Cup qualifier against Croatia at Wembley. [LNB]Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky is another on the mend after his latest niggling hamstring injury setback, but defender Johan Djourou will face an extended spell on the sidelines because of knee surgery. [LNB]
