Germany v Netherlands - UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A3
Per Mertesacker has managed Arsenal’s academy for the last eight years (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal cult hero Per Mertesacker will leave the club at the end of the season after eight years in his role as academy manager.
The 41-year-old, who captained the Gunners and won three FA Cups during his distinguished playing career during his time in north London, has been in his current role since 2018.
‘Per has overseen our men’s Academy since 2018 with a vision to develop distinctive Strong Young Gunners – young players who have gone on to make their mark with our own men’s first team, pursued successful careers at other clubs or followed different paths to fulfil their potential with an excellent grounding and education,’ a statement read.
‘Per’s continued focus on ‘better people making better players’ has ensured our Academy instils the values of Arsenal into young players who understand what it means to represent the Gunners.’
Explaining his decision, Mertesacker, who joined Arsenal from Werder Bremen back in 2011, said: ‘Arsenal is and will always be a very special club to me, so this was a difficult decision.
‘I am very thankful for the trust the club put in me when transitioning from a first-team player directly into the role as Head of Academy. Now it is time for me to move on and explore something new and push myself even further.
‘I remain focused on finishing the season strongly, continuing to nurture and develop our young talent and support a seamless transition until my very last day with the club.’
Prefer us to the others? Then tell Google!
As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.
Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
Our journalists work hard to deliver the most important stories from around the world
FBL-ENG-FACUP-ARSENAL-CHELSEA
Per Mertesacker won the FA Cup three times as a player with Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Richard Garlick, Arsenal’s Chief Executive Officer added: ‘We support Per’s decision to pursue something new, but we will be incredibly sad to see him leave at the end of the season.
‘We were fortunate to have retained Per as Academy Manager once he finished his playing career with us in 2018. He understands what Arsenal stands for and this has been a constant in his leadership – inspiring our Academy coaches, staff and young players in an Arsenal way and giving so many an opportunity to develop and shine.
‘We’re happy that Per remains in role until the end of the season whilst we focus on our succession plan.
‘We continue in our pursuit of winning major trophies with a sustained focus and investment in our Academy.’
MORE: Robert Pires says Arsenal star is in ‘same bracket’ as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira
MORE: Chelsea and Arsenal boosted as top target clears path for January transfer
MORE: ‘We missed him big time!’ Writing on the wall for £64million Arsenal flop after Mikel Arteta admission
Football Newsletter – In The Mixer
Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.