Source: Eurosport
High hopes for Fran
Arsene Wenger hopes he will be proved right to have kept Spanish teenager Fran Merida at Arsenal this season.[LNB]The 19-year-old midfielder joined the Gunners from Barcelona's academy in September 2005 - a move which proved somewhat controversial and resulted in legal action taken against the player for compensation.[LNB]Since then, Merida has gained experience at Real Sociedad before returning to the Gunners and making his Barclays Premier League debut. After impressing in the pre-season Emirates Cup and coming off the bench in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth, Merida hopes this can be his breakthrough campaign and is set to feature in Wednesday night's Carling Cup clash against Liverpool.[LNB]Wenger, though, was close to allowing the promising youngster to have another loan spell away at Levante, only to pull the plug on the deal at the last minute. The Gunners boss believes his faith in Merida - now back at the club after helping Spain reach the knockout stages of the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt - will prove justified.[LNB]"Fran had a good pre-season and after the pre-season he was away a lot with Spain. Now he is back, so I hope he can show how good he is," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.[LNB]"I nearly gave him out on loan, but on the day I had to make the decision, I decided to keep him. It would have been good for him, but I felt that he has too much quality to go out. He just has football in his blood and these players always have a good chance to come through."
