Mertesacker: Arteta left Arsenal a note telling them to keep me when he left for City
Arsenal academy director Per Mertesacker believes one of the key traits he and first-team manager Mikel Arteta share is their desire to bring people with them on a journey. “ left Ivan Gazidis a note saying, ‘You can’t lose this guy’,” says former centre-back Mertesacker, who made over 200 appearances for the club from 2011-18. I think it’s important to be ambitious, but I think he respects the process so much more now.” In his first season in management Wilshere, who made 197 appearances for Arsenal before retiring last summer aged 30 due to persistent injuries, could bring the FA Youth Cup back to the Emirates for the first time since 2008-09. If you want to do a proper job, this is a different pressure situation that they have to live up to.” Arsenal’s youth base at Hale End has produced Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe in recent years and the success of Wilshere’s under-18s side is building expectation that the pipeline will continue to pump out players for the first team. “When I started, I thought I’d see after two years, but I just got rid of that notion because you have to look at a 10-year cycle in the academy,” says Mertesacker.
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