Per Mertesacker has done a phenomenal job as the head of the Arsenal academy.
The German first joined the club as a player in 2011. He was viewed as a panic buy by many at the time, but he went on to be a fine servant to the club.
In the summer of 2018, after he retired, Mertesacker was officially announced as the Arsenal academy manager. He was tasked with developing the entire youth setup.
However, before he was given the job, Arsene Wenger had someone else in mind for that role – Mikel Arteta.
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Arsene Wenger wanted Mikel Arteta to become Arsenal’s academy manager
Arteta joined Arsenal as a player on the same day as Per Mertesacker.
The two players were brought in on deadline day in 2011, and although neither caused great excitement, they went on to be a key part of the squad during their time at the club.
Arteta decided to hang up his boots at the end of the 2015/16 season. He then joined Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City.
Mertesacker has now revealed that Wenger’s plan was to originally appoint Arteta as the Arsenal academy manager.
However, after the Spaniard chose to move to the Etihad, he recommended Mertesacker to the then Arsenal boss.
“So, when Mikel left the club, I think Arsene wanted to keep him,” Mertesacker told HaytersTV.
“But he had made a promise to Pep back then. I think Mikel said to Arsene: ‘Arsene, there is another one there!’
“That was a year before my playing contract ended, so he started the conversation a year earlier, together with Ivan Gazidis, and asked me if I wanted to stay.
“I said yes to him, and three weeks later, he offered me the academy manager job.”
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Arsene Wenger’s plan failed but it all worked out for Arsenal
Wenger was right in wanting to keep Arteta at Arsenal in 2016 because he knew how good he was.
It was a shame to see him leave at the time, but the Spaniard’s experience working under Guardiola helped him become the manager he is today.
Arteta’s departure also opened the door for Mertesacker to take charge of the academy, and he has been instrumental in the development of players like Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.
Wenger’s original plan didn’t come to fruition, but we’re sure he will be delighted that it all worked out at Arsenal in the end.
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