{"id":1031,"date":"2026-03-31T22:29:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2026-03-31T22:29:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:29:36","slug":"arsenal-confirm-transfer-of-highly-rated-star-as-per-mertesacker-leaves-perfect-parting-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=1031","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal confirm transfer of highly-rated star as Per Mertesacker leaves perfect parting gift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_1e9d73\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Per Mertesacker, who will step down as Arsenal academy manager at the end of the season, will bow out in style next month.<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33684164\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Per Mertesacker former player of Arsenal on the tribune during the UEFA Champions League 2025\/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Arsenal FC at BayArena on March 11, 2026 in Leverkusen, Germany\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33684164.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2266092955.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33684164.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_GettyImages-2266092955.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33684164.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_GettyImages-2266092955.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33684164.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2266092955.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Per Mertesacker will leave Arsenal at the end of the season\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Per Mertesacker will leave Arsenal at the end of the season<cite aria-label=\"Image: Photo by J\u00fcrgen Fromme - firo sportphoto\/Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Photo by J\u00fcrgen Fromme &#8211; Firo Sports Photo\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arsenal have completed the signing of Beau Luton ahead of the Next Gen Beijing Cup. Next month, the former Wingate &#038; Finchley defender will join the Gunners Under-15s when they jet off to China to test themselves against some of the most promising young players in the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Wolves and Aston Villa will also participate at the tournament, as well as four Chinese teams and the Hong Kong China U16 Elite Selection Team. Per Mertesacker will also travel to Beijing, accompanying Craig Smith and his coaching staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In an interview with <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arsenal.com\/news\/under-15s-heading-china-next-gen-cup\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">the club website<\/a>the Gunners Under-15s boss claimed Luton, who will be eligible to sign a scholarship contract in the summer of 2027, and his new teammates are looking forward to the experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Smith said: &#8220;The players are buzzing about it. Most of us have never been to China before, so that&#8217;s a really good experience to be able to give these players, and then, on top of that, competitive football in some great stadiums we&#8217;re going to be playing in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a aria-label=\"Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pageLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFCFootball.London#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;They&#8217;re all really excited to do it. The whole premise of why we do these sorts of tours is to start building up players to understand what it&#8217;s like when they get to the top level or a first team level to be able to go away for an extended period of time and be able to perform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The first thing they&#8217;re going to have to deal with is the jet lag when they get there, the different culture, and much more. It&#8217;s going to be full on; these are full-length matches happening every few days, so recovery is key.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;One of our key taglines is adapt and perform, so that&#8217;s going to be huge for the boys in those games where we might be used to press in a certain way, but all of a sudden we&#8217;re against a shape that, we haven&#8217;t played before and they&#8217;ve got to adapt and change how we play without the ball or play and change our formation or our tactics that we use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;So the whole adaptation side of it, I think, is really good. I like the competitive nature of the tournaments that we go into, and then on top of that, you end up being a lot more together at the end of tours because you&#8217;ve spent so much time together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;You might have had some highs, you might have had some lows, but you see the whole group come together a little bit more by the end of it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33212385\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33212385\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.33\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Per Mertesacker has helped several young Arsenal player make the step up from the Academy to the first team\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33212385.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/3_Per-Metesacker-and-Arsenal.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33212385.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/3_Per-Metesacker-and-Arsenal.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33212385.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/3_Per-Metesacker-and-Arsenal.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33212385.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/3_Per-Metesacker-and-Arsenal.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Per Mertesacker has helped several young Arsenal player make the step up from the academy to the first team\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Per Mertesacker has helped several young Arsenal player make the step up from the academy to the first team<cite aria-label=\"Image: Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In January, Mertesacker announced that he will leave Arsenal at the end of the season. The trip will be the German&#8217;s last before he steps down as academy manager after eight years in the role.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Smith continued: &#8220;I feel really fortunate to be leading the tour that&#8217;s going to be Per&#8217;s last at the club. Per brings such a wealth of knowledge and he&#8217;s so well respected within the academy that anytime he&#8217;s around the boys, you can hear a pin drop when he talks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;They really hang on to everything he said because he&#8217;s been there and done that, and the standards he sets around what he expects from a strong young gunner. He makes sure that.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33215086\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33215086\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Per Mertesacker looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024\/25 League Phase MD3 match between Arsenal FC and FC Shakhtar Donetsk at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2024 in London, England\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33215086.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_PM.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33215086.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_PM.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33215086.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_PM.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33215086.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_PM.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Per Mertesacker played a key role behind the scenes at Arsenal\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Per Mertesacker played a key role behind the scenes at Arsenal<cite aria-label=\"Image: Photo by Ryan Crockett\/DeFodi Images via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Photo by Ryan Crockett\/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The boys are on it and he doesn&#8217;t really have to do a lot to make sure they&#8217;re on it, to be honest. It&#8217;s going to be great having him on tour. I&#8217;m definitely going to delve into his knowledge and his playing background and any little lessons that we can take from him, take advantage of him being around the boys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Per&#8217;s brilliant at getting involved. He&#8217;ll be in the training sessions. He&#8217;ll do everything from the warm-up to the games at the end, and he sets the example on the pitch. So, it&#8217;s going to be great for the boys whilst we&#8217;re out there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the culture that China has to offer, Smith added: &#8220;One of our pillars is lifelong learner, and with that is like stuff that you&#8217;re doing outside of football, broadening your horizons, experiencing different cultures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve got a few little cultural excursions booked up. So one&#8217;s the Great Wall of China, and one&#8217;s a Kung Fu lesson at the Summer Palace. I think they&#8217;re doing a ping-pong lesson out there as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;So it&#8217;s an amazing opportunity to embrace the culture and bond as a team. I think these tournaments and events abroad bring players together and create memories that will last forever.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_7edf0a\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Provisional Arsenal Under-15s squad heading to China<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Charlie Phillips, Max Lo Presti, Zach Van Der Straaten, Frankie Wyatt, Hudson Sando, Onye Asiegbu, Isaiah Matthews, Beau Luton, Keyaan Davison, Fletcher McBryde, Michael Bonaventura Yetna, Noah Laditan, Blake Day King, Emmanuel Ahaneku, Reiss Twenboa Kudoa, Jaden Maghoma, Kyron Raymond-Callender, Luis Munoz, Bubacarr Jallow, Leo Aliadiere, Ezra Okafor.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"Factbox_factbox-container__hSMOa\" id=\"factbox\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Entering Factbox content\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"32887284\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"factbox\" data-testid=\"factbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 615px) 615px, (max-width: 810px) 810px, 1168px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1168v\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg\" srcset=\"&#10;        https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/n615\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg 615w,&#10;        https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/n810\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg 810w,&#10;        https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1168v\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg 1168w&#10;    \"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs Factbox_heading-three__NXU52 __className_7edf0a\">Welcome to &#8216;Seeing Red&#8217; &#8211; our new Arsenal podcast<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Factbox_content__xdMV8\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We&#8217;ve launched a new Arsenal podcast &#8216;Seeing Red&#8217; with chief football writer John Cross and Arsenal reporter Tom Canton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Each week, they will dive deep into the biggest topics as they follow Mikel Arteta&#8217;s side every step of the way &#8211; and will also discuss nostalgic flashbacks before each fixture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It&#8217;s a great time to be an Arsenal fan, with the Gunners flying high under Arteta as they look to win silverware this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The North Londoners are going strong in the Premier League and Champions League &#8211; and they&#8217;re also in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We&#8217;ll provide insight and reaction &#8211; and have fun along the way &#8211; as Arsenal target the biggest trophies this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">No stone will be left unturned. VAR controversy? Poor performances? Unsung hero who deserves praise? Fixture chaos? We&#8217;ll have it all covered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"Click here to view our YouTube channelLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SeeingRedArsenal\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to view our YouTube channel<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"Click here to download our podcastsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/pod.link\/1652497071\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to download our podcasts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Per Mertesacker, who will step down as Arsenal academy manager at the end of the season, will bow out in style next month. Per Mertesacker will leave Arsenal at the end of the season(Image: Photo by J\u00fcrgen Fromme &#8211; Firo Sports Photo\/Getty Images) Arsenal have completed the signing of Beau Luton ahead of the Next [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}