What Does the Future Hold for Per Mertesacker at Arsenal?

The start of this season appears set to be a crucial period for Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker.

Unlike many of his team-mates, he enjoyed a summer off and looked likely to begin the campaign in Arsene Wenger’s preferred XI. What’s more, he was also lined up to be the Gunners’ new captain. However, a knee injury has now ruled him out of the first half of the season, leaving his hopes dashed and his future uncertain. 

Last season did not end particularly well for Mertesacker. As the campaign approached its close, he found himself rotated in and out of the side. In truth, Wenger didn’t seem entirely convinced by either Mertesacker or Gabriel.

However, 2016/17 appeared to offer him a fresh start. As one of the first to return to training, he looked as though he was due to form a major part of Wenger’s plans. Then, the disastrous injury struck.

There’s a certain irony about the fact that Mertesacker, who was spared the rigours of a European Championship campaign by his international retirement back in 2014, picked up the injury in a friendly. 

Speaking after the match against Lens, Wenger told Arsenal’s official website (h/t Sky Sports): 

We have bad news on Per Mertesacker.

He played in Lens on Friday night, he finished the game and had a little pain on his knee. We found out the next day that it was much more serious than expected. 

He had surgery yesterday in Germany. It all went well. I know you will ask me for how long he will be out. I don’t know that, it’s months, but I don’t know how long he will be out for. 

It’s a particularly untimely piece of news for Wenger, who was arguably short of centre-halves anyway.

With Laurent Koscielny not yet back in training after Euro 2016 and Gabriel having suffered with a bout of illness, the Arsenal boss has been forced to rely on the England under-21 pair of Calum Chambers and Rob Holding throughout pre-season. Even midfielder Francis Coquelin has been pressed into occasional action as a central defender.

Wenger will now surely be looking at options on the transfer market. According to the Times (h/t The Independent’s Jack de Menezes), the club have granted Wenger permission to pursue Mertesacker’s German compatriot and Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi. 

That might spell trouble for Mertesacker. Mustafi is an …

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