German defender Per Mertesacker is set to sign an extension to his current deal which will keep him at the club till 2017.
The German international, who arrived at the club in the wake of the 8-2 thrashing by Manchester United back in 2011, has a contract which is set to expire in the summer of 2015, and as such the club are looking to give the defender a new deal thanks to is imperious performances at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
The 29-year old Mertesacker, known affectionately to fans as BFG, has formed a fantastic partnership which Laurent Koscielny in the middle of the defence, and have seen Arsenal become one of most frugal defences in the league.
Time to settle
After Arsenal’s mauling at Old Trafford, both fans and manager alike realised that Arsenal needed a new, big-name defender, and Arsene Wenger responded by capturing the signing of Mertesacker from Werder Bremen. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the German.
“The first year was tough for me, a very tough challenge” said Mertesacker, who was heralded as Arsenal’s defensive saviour, however, was more often than not seen as a liability at the back for the club, due mainly to his lack of pace being massively exploited in the faster Premier league.
Though it may have taken the German a while to settle at the club, his form in the past year, coupled with his fantastic partnership with Koscielny at the back, have seem him become almost indispensable to the team. The BFG has become one of the first names of the team sheet, and has seen Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen relegated to the bench, due to the German’s exemplary defending and partnership with another former Arsenal misfit, Laurent Koscielny.
Per Mertesacker may not have hit the heights expected of him upon his initial arrival at the club, however, his form over the past year has seen him become one of the best defenders in the league, if not Europe, and a cult hero among Arsenal fans.
Here’s to hoping that Mertesacker and Koscielny can continue their marvellous partnership together for many more years.
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