Per Mertesacker to leave Arsenal chief role as club ‘incredibly sad’ | Football | Sport

Arsenal’s academy manager, Per Mertesacker, has announced that he will be stepping down at the end of this season, marking the end of an eight-year tenure that has seen the emergence of some of the club’s finest talents. Mertesacker has been instrumental in shaping the careers of promising players such as Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman, earning him a beloved status within the club’s framework.

He has also played a key role in integrating former players Jack Wilshere and Adam Birchall into coaching roles within the club, while maintaining a close working relationship with manager Mikel Arteta. In addition to his contributions to the academy, Mertesacker was a crucial figure during the managerial transition from Unai Emery to Arteta, collaborating with Freddie Ljungberg as part of his backroom staff.

As a former player and centre-half who clinched multiple FA Cups, Mertesacker’s deep understanding of the club and its values will be challenging to replace.

In a statement on the Arsenal website, Mertesacker expressed his sentiments: “Arsenal is and will always be a very special club to me, so this was a difficult decision,” he said.

“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.”

Richard Garlick, the club’s chief executive, commented: “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.”