Per Mertesacker is extremely proud of the success at our academy - and who could blame him?
If ever there was a testament to the incredible work done by Per and the team at Hale End, it was seeing seven academy graduates play in our pre-season tour game against AC Milan in Singapore - along with several more starlets in the matchday squad.
Each one of those has graduated since Per took charge of Hale End following his retirement as a professional footballer in 2018. But the development of a footballer isn't only about what they do on the pitch, but, as Per explains, how they grow as people off of it.
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"We pride ourselves on the success of supporting the first team and getting players through," he said at the Sobha Realty Training Centre. "But also the people that we create that might turn up to be a standout in the first-team, but also for the wider game and in life in general.
"The environment that we want to create is challenging and caring on the football field but we believe that well-rounded human beings can make the best possible impact, whether it's on the pitch or off the pitch.
"That's our aim, that's what we're here to do and this is how I see strong young individuals growing. We develop Strong Young Gunners here who excel on and off the pitch. It's lots of work alongside amazing staff, but it's brilliant that there are so many inspirations out there for us to continue the work."
Per was speaking at a special day for the club at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, as a raft of our bright talents signed their first professional contracts. It's always a significant date in the calendar for the World Cup winner, who knows the hard work must continue, both on and off the pitch, for these young talents.
"We pride ourselves on the challenge that we give them on a daily basis," he said. "On the football pitch but also off the pitch, and we're working really hard to get them the people they want to become and really be the best they can become, so that is our job on a daily basis to work with them.
"So I represent a lot of staff who have worked with those individuals, and that's why it's also exciting for me to see a journey really unfolding. We have also seen in the past what that means for the Arsenal community, for the Arsenal first team, for football. That's why it's also a proud moment for me, the staff, and the academy. "
Seven years as a player followed by seven years working with our brightest talents, Per has done 14 years of service with us, a time he says has flown by.
“I've been really, really privileged. Firstly, to step into this environment, because I love Arsenal, but also, then forming it, impacting it and now, being trusted to impact the next generation. It's flown by but also I've enjoyed it so much that these things then fly by fairly quickly.
"But also, I can't forget all the fantastic memories within that that we've made together as a club, but also then always looking forward to the next thing, reflecting on the things that we've done, then improving on many, many fronts."
Mertesacker was part of the Hannover 96 academy as an 11-year-old, and while times have changed from the day he signed his first professional contract, he's excited about the opportunities now provided to the stars of tomorrow.
He said: "When I started my journey and when I signed my professional contract, it wasn't so much in the public domain and shared via social media, but nevertheless, I think I was reminded of that first professional contract and to be begging for an opportunity. That was it, pretty much. You signed professional terms but really, it's an opportunity for you to showcase yourself and your talents and the intention that you have.
"It's brilliant for these youngsters to get this platform around amazing staff, a good environment to grow and develop. This is what we do here and we pride ourselves on that. We have done that for such a long time, recruiting, retaining but also developing academy players into the people that they are today and the impact that they're making on the football pitch but also in the wider community."
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