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Arsenal star confirms he’ll consider offers to leave in January

By mac14 on October 5, 2016

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has suggested he’s set for a move away from the club after being quoted in the Metro as saying he’ll consider all offers that come his way in January.

Mertesacker joined Arsenal from Werder Bremen in the summer of 2011 and has been an excellent addition to the squad having made 208 appearances for the club over the past five years.

The German international was handed the captaincy in the summer but his campaign has been disrupted after he suffered a serious knee injury during a pre-season friendly back in July and isn’t expected to return until the early part of 2017.

The injury forced Arsene Wenger in to the transfer market and it looks as though Mertesacker is going to find it difficult to regain his first team place as Shkodran Mustafi has formed an excellent partnership alongside Koscielny following his arrival from Valencia.

Per has now offered an update on his injury after saying he’s no longer in pain and is confident he can become an ‘important’ part of the Arsenal team again once he returns to fitness.

However, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, it looks as though this will be his last year at the Emirates as the 32-year-old has now confirmed he’ll listen to offers from January onwards and will do whats best for him and his family.

Mertesacker is quoted as saying by the Metro:

‘I know that I need to allow myself time. The more time I allow my knee, the longer I’ll be able to play football,’

‘I can increase the workload already and I am no longer in pain.

‘I believe that I can reach a level again on which I am important for the team. I have the feeling that this is not the end.

‘I look at the perspectives for me and my family, and I think that I’ll intensify those thoughts from January on.

‘That’s also the time when you can listen to other things [offers] when your contract is expiring.’

I don’t think Per will leave during the winter window but that appears to be the time when he’ll begin to give serious consideration to his next move and consider any offers that come in.

With Mustafi and Koscielny looking like a superb partnership and Rob Holding a real prospect for the future, Mertesacker is going to struggle to be a regular so I think it’s safe to assume he’ll be leaving Arsenal next summer.