Arsenal have triggered a clause in Per Mertesacker’s contract which will extend his stay for another year. The Gunners captain hasn’t featured for them so far this season.
The 32-year old’s contract is scheduled to expire at the end of the season. The ex-German international arrived from Werder Bremen in 2011 and has gone on to appear more than 200 times for the North Londoners. The player had been suffering from an injury and has returned to training recently.
The World Cup winner is seen as an important member of the club and the contract extension is the reflection of the trust.
Wenger said, “He has an option that we have taken. There was no negotiation, there was just an option that we took up.
“Look, with the number of games we have, it’s important that we have all our experienced players back.
“Everybody is focused to do well — we are going into the moment of truth now, January until May. There are five months to go and ideally you want all your players with big experience back in the squad.”
