Per Mertesacker interview: 'Players need to find a bus station, not a pampered ride home'

As he watches the club's Academy graduates shape Arsenal's future, the under age manager knows too well that for most starlets' the hopes are huge but their odds to succeed tiny.

IN THE BAG: Ethan Nwaneri is another of Arsenal's Academy graduates to sign a long-term contract with the club. He's pictured with manager Mikel Arteta, Mertesacker and Andrea Berta, the club's director of football. Pic: Getty

On Sunday afternoon, as Arsenal face Chelsea in a London derby swollen with implications for the title race, Per Mertesacker will watch with a sense of deja vu. One of the last times these clubs collided on such a charged afternoon, he was on the pitch, unexpectedly leading Arsenal to the 2017 FA Cup, a performance so complete it became “The Mertesacker final.” 

Eight years on, the 41-year-old is no longer the emergency centre-half but the architect of Arsenal’s future. As academy manager, he is the 6ft 6in guardian of its culture, shaping the next Bukayo Saka while knowing full well that 99 per cent of his players will never make a living in the game.