Per Mertesacker appointed head of Arsenal Academy

Arsenal have annouced that club captain will take over as the head of
its academy from 2018 when is contract with the club expires. The 34
year old former German international would replace Andries Jonker who
left to become manager of Wolfsburg last season.

Speaking to Arsenal.com about the appointment. Manager Arsène Wenger said:

"Per is an exceptional character who is a great example for young
players. He is a deep thinker about the game and committed to helping
players fulfil their potential. He will be an inspirational figure for
everyone connected with the academy."

In response to his appointment which comes into effect in a year's
time, Per had this to say:

"This is the start of an exciting new chapter for me and I am
delighted that I will be able to stay part of the Arsenal family. This
season I will remain fully focused on my job with the team and am
looking forward to a successful last season on the pitch. After that,
I look forward to the exciting challenge of helping produce young
players good enough to play for the Arsenal first team."

on his part, the club's chief excecutive, Ivan Gazidis said:

"At Arsenal, we believe in developing young players to their full
potential and giving them an opportunity to shine. I am delighted that
Per will take on this role. He understands the club's values, he knows
what it takes to win at the top level and he will be the ideal person
to drive the academy forward when he takes on the role next year."

Per Mertesacker was appointed Arsenal's captain last season, but
injured his knee at the start of the season which caused him to miss
the entire season, apart from a couple of minutes against Everton on
the last day of the league season.
He put in a towering performance in his first start of the season in
the FA Cup final win over Chelsea in May.

He joined Arsenal from Werden Bremen in 2011 and was part of the
German squad that won the World Cup in 2014.

In the mean time, while Per sees out this last season as a player, the
academy will be led by Luke Hobbs.