London, Oct 21 (IANS): Arsenal's midfield reinforcement for the season Mikel Merino, who made his debut against Paris Saint-Germain in the side’s second UCL game, has made a bold statement claiming winning the UEFA Champions League is the team’s ultimate goal.

"I've been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies in my career with the national team as well. I know the feeling - something you can't compare with anything else. Knowing what this club is about how big the Champions League and winning trophies is.

"Winning the Champions League here would be amazing. There is still a long way to go to achieve that. We have the basics, the players; we have the mentality; that has to be the ultimate goal," said Merino in the pre-game conference.

The Gunners will have to shackle off the side’s disappointing 0-2 loss against Bournemouth as they turn their attention to their UCL match against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Arsenal currently sit in 13th place in the UCL League table with one win and one draw their name. A win for the North London side will be of huge importance as 36 teams are battling for the top eight spot.

"You do not have time to think about the last action you also have new things coming, new challenges. It's really good to have a game now, try to win, try to give our best version in front of our fans. Not erase, we have to get better and learn from the mistakes but to have a new feeling.

"I think we have a pretty complete team, pretty complete coaching staff as well. They have that winning mentality as well. They might not have the experience yet because we have a young team," he added.