Napoli star Dries Mertens believes Arsenal are a stronger side now due to the presence of a few older heads in their squad.

The Gunners have been drawn to face Napoli in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with the first leg set to take place at the Emirates next month.




Napoli are considered one of the favourites to go all the way in the competition, but Unai Emery, a three-time Europa League winning coach, is also eyeing lifting it again.

Mertens is excited to take on the Gunners in the last eight and insisted if Napoli cannot beat sides such as Arsenal then they do not deserve to win the Europa League at the end of the season.
 


Reacting to the Arsenal draw, the Belgian told Italian radio station Radio Kiss Kiss: “We are happy.

“If you are not going to win games like these then you don’t deserve to win the trophy.
 

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“We went to Salzburg and we didn’t show our game but we still got through and that’s important.”

Mertens feels the Arsenal side have developed well this season despite the loss of a few key players in recent years.

He believes that the presence of older headers such as Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner has made the Gunners a stronger team.

“Yes, the team have grown and the players have grown.

“They have lost players but have bought others.

"With some older players, they have gained more experience.

“And they have made Arsenal stronger.”