Arsenal’s German defender Per Mertesacker is set to retire at the end of the 2017/18 and he will then take charge of the club’s academy.
The 32-year-old only made two appearances for the Gunners last year due to an injury-struck season, one of those was Arsenal’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea, where Mertesacker was heavily praised for a brilliant display. He has been at the Emirates since 2011 and has made 150 appearances in his time there.
He will spend one last season playing for the club and then go into coaching as he will take charge of the Arsenal academy.
Arsenal will need to make sure Mertesacker’s last season with the club is better than last, having missed out on Champions League football but slightly redeeming themselves with an FA cup victory.
The Gunners have already improved their squad with the acquisition of Sead Kolasinac and French hit-man Alexandre Lacazette, those signings alone could see Mertesacker a lot happier about when he leaves Arsenal next summer.
The big German will be a tremendous character for the academy players to look up to and learn from.
