
Per Mertesacker will leave Arsenal at the end of the season after eight years as the club’s academy manager. Mertesacker said he wanted to “explore something new” after a 15-year spell as player and then staff at the Emirates Stadium.
The tall German is one of the most popular figures at the club and has developed a reputation for developing young players into mature professionals. Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman have all graduated from the Hale End Academy under Mertesacker’s watch.