Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Arsenal travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in the Premier League, with Dominic King reporting from the grounds.
Few thought that Mikel Merino would ever be leading the line for Arenal when he signed as fairly neutrally-minded midfielder in the summer of 2024.
But he stepped up when needed up front last campaign, notching nine goals, and was back in the limelight in midweek with two goals against Slavia Prague.
Here's a long read on how he has done it by our Arsenal reporter Isaan Khan.