Per Mertesacker says he’s humbled and thankful for the trust and belief showed in him by Arsene Wenger after Arsenal triggered an option to extend his contract by a further year.
The World Cup winner hasn’t played a competitive fixture since taking the captain’s armband in the summer but is finally closing in on a first team return after six months recovering from surgery on his knee.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Mertesacker outlined his ambitions for the future while drawing attention to the journey he’s taken since receiving an Arsenal home shirt as a gift when he was a slightly smaller BFG.
“I would just like to say how very grateful I am to have extended my contract with Arsenal. It makes me really proud and also a bit emotional.
“I’ve been out for six months now and to have such trust and belief from the manager makes me very humble and thankful.
“Trust me, I’ll do everything possible on a daily basis to make myself better and everybody around me better. I’m working really hard to come back and show that I’m still capable on the
“I’m working really hard to come back and show that I’m still capable on the pitch, because I want to help make this great club as successful as possible.”
He added: “My love for this club is authentic. I care a lot about team-mates, about fans, and I want people to identify with us. It’s very important to me now and it always has been.
“I feel like there’s always been a link between myself and Arsenal. I’ve told the story a few times about when I came to London as a young boy and came back with an Arsenal shirt. I’ve never thrown that shirt away, and in fact it’s framed and is on the wall of my office back in Germany.
“I’ll always keep it because it’s a reminder of the circle, of the journey I’ve been on with Arsenal, and of the people who have supported me and have helped me to reach my goals.
“Wearing an Arsenal shirt is genuinely something that is special to me and that shirt always reminds me of that.”
And this boys and girls, is why we love Mertesacker…what a guy!
BFG is a Legend in my eyes
Manager material one day?
He would certainly command respect because of his sheer size and I think he could easily knock Mourinho over 🙂
I totally agree. I can see him being like Klopp, as in he’s absolutely hilarious and charismatic, but will bite your head off if you mess about. I can see Per or Arteta managing Arsenal in the future. A lot of people complain that we don’t give our ex players a coaching path at Arsenal, but another way to look at it is these players are going out there and proving themselves, and if they make it and become manager of Arsenal then they can offer a different perspective. Just look at Giggs’ situation, he reached the level where he’s… Read more »
Touching words. So genuine.
And to think how he and Arteter steadied a sinking Arsenal ship.
Couldn’t agree more. We wouldn’t be where we are now, or have the stars without the sterling work those two put in. Both fantastic leaders and human beings.
exactly , this guy really means what he says
Arteta, please.
Sorry Frank… downvoted by mistake by my fat thumb.
He’s a BFG – Big F*****g Gooner.
I really like Mertesacker
I absolutely Love Cazorla he’s my favourite player.
But taking emotion out of it, there’s absolutely no way I think we should be renewing either contract.
I’d imagine we can afford their pay and it’s time we had more players retire at the club like arteta.
Retire at the club like Arteta?
Are you joking?
Arteta and Rosicky were used as a reason in their last season not to strengthen our midfield that also contained a broken JW10.
That may well have cost us last seasons title, as all three players contributed nothing.
Then Arteta fu**ed off to join City.
Which i perfectly understand.
But at the same time you can’t then chirp up about loyalty.
Why are we giving new contracts to broken players as a thank you for proving us with zero PL titles
We play so much better with Santi in the middle. We have been struggling to find balance without him and you don’t think he should stay till we can find a way to play without him???
Even if he never plays, he puts a smile on his teammates face everyday and creates such a positive atmosphere. Just look at all the videos Mesut and Santi have done together, Ozil absolutely loves the guy!
Imagine having a player that doesn’t have pace but reads the defensive game brilliantly to compensate and another one that can dribble the whole of Tottenham team in a phone box and spray passes like painting a French lady. But yeah.. why should we reward them players that helped us win two trophies after years of drought
although Mertsacker is not a ‘first choice’ centre back anymore. His experience is invaluable to the likes of Holding, Gabriel and even Mustafi. He’s going to provide continuity, encouragement and leadership to the rest of the team going forward too. Glad to have Mert back
I think he gets a lot of unnecessary stick because of his pace. I still think he’s a quality defender and an asset to the club.
But why does he have an office???
Maybe he uses it to look after his money. Unlike Sanchez.
Because he can afford one?
He could just mean an office in his house in Germany, rather than one in an office building 😉
Lost in translation – it’s his study at home.
I know picture him in his study reading heavy books by heavy German writers.
BFG = Brainy F****** Giant
Perhaps he secretly wished he was an office worker rather than a footballer so is now fulfilling his dream due to a lengthy injury?
Maybe it translates into his study rather then an office
He has a charitable foundation which helps people struggling with mental ilness.
I thought it supported children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds?
That’s Podolski you’re thinking of: http://www.lukas-podolski-stiftung.de/en/foundation
The BFG is running a real estate company, no kidding! It is located in Hannover and co-owned by his former Werder Bremen teammate Clemens Fritz.
This guy’s brains is clearly way above what the whole man utd team can provide collectively.
Having those types of players on the team is part of why I love this club!
Mertesacker – runs a real estate company and supports disadvantaged children
Ozil – pays for operations for sick children in underdeveloped countries
Giroud – pays for operations for sick children in underdeveloped countries
Flamini – runs a massive company that may one day replace oil
Rooney – shags grannies and hands in transfer requests to get a raise
Form is temporary but class is permanent, and that is why I love Arsenal so much.
What a thoroughly bloody nice bloke
I so much love this guy. What a guy!
Absolute state of the people slamming him (and the club) for signing a new deal. This is what The Arsenal is all about. Sheer class.
Future Manager.
Big Fucking Statue for him?
He’d need a couple of league titles for a statue.
His statue would be of him peering over the rim of the stadium to watch the match.
That’s hilarious!?
Imagine…60 metre statue of the BFG outside the stadium. Arsenal landmark…with two fingers to the spuds, visible from shite hart lane.
If we can only seal the deal with Ozil as well all will be good. Almost.
Blogs,on a different issue,i know you hate theo but have some class man.This is a guy who has been with us 11 years today scoring 101 goals and 68 assists.but not even an article on him as always.But anyway you are just an arsenal fan being an arsenal fan.Hating,under appreciating,lacking perspective….
100 goals in 11 years,in my eyes, isn’t a record to be proud of.. Pretty poor for an attacker if I’m totally honest. The BFG though…. What a fucking guy!
With Theo, you can judge him better by looking at it in terms of games not years (he didn’t play at all in the first year for starters). He has a striking rate of about 0.25 goals per game, better then that of Freddie and not too far behind Pires (who is about 0.32 goals per game with us). Those are the best two players in similar roles from the invincibles era. What really counts for Theo is that even after those 11 years he is just entering his prime years, while with those legends they were playing for us… Read more »
Jeez, where did that come from ?!?
I like Theo a lot, and I didn’t see anything disrespectful in this post. Just the opposite, it defends him against some speculation: Theo probably has a legitimate injury, and that is why is not in the team, no weird punishment theory needed.
You’ve named yourself well.
I knew he was going to get an extension…mainly as a presence in the dressing room. Means Gabriel will be second choice rb when Chambers comes back…maybe Chambers will go on another loan.
Love our BFG! May he retire with us.
I wish the main 2 protagonist would feel the same and sign a new contract as well. Respect to BFG and those that have re-signed for us recently.
Much maligned player. Like Flamini and Giroud, a target for inexplicable nonsense about ‘pace’. Much better a player who understands what he is doing than someone who is running around helter skelter. We had people telling us Gabriel was better than BFG because of pace. This did not turn out to be true in anyways. The German has impeccable understanding of positioning. He makes a good partnership with Koscielny. Next season, I expect he will take a reserve role as Mustafi-Koscielny continue to develop their understanding. Gabriel who has improved significantly should also come into the main mix. To watch,… Read more »
The BFG only joked about being a future Arsenal manager in the video at the Emirates with the Denver Nuggets, but really, I would love to have him. He’s rarely caught out despite his lack of pace so that shows a very good reading of the game. Add on to that his leadership skills and never know, he could be a great manager.
We’ve got a Big Fucking German!
Imagine…60 metre statue of the BFG outside the stadium. Arsenal landmark…with two fingers to the spuds, visible from shite hart lane.
it’s also worth remembering that Meetesacker retired from international football at, what, 29? It’s true that he just went out on the high of a world cup win and there’s no shortage of talented german central defenders competing for his position, but there’s no overwhelming reason to do that and the fact that he did was a considerable show of commitment, not to say devotion, to his club – he easily could have continued to have been called up to the national team for another four or five years. Gooner through and through, as I see it
True gent and loyal gooner always the last one off the pitch to applaud the fans B F G , blindin f,in gooner ! ?