Per Mertesacker to Become Arsenal Academy Manager Ahead of 2018-19 Season

Arsenal have announced club captain Per Mertesacker will transition to the role of academy manager at the beginning of the 2018-19 season.

The club confirmed the scheduled appointment via their official website on Friday, and Mertesacker expressed his delight to be taking the next step in his career at the Emirates Stadium:

"This is the start of an exciting new chapter for me and I am delighted that I will be able to stay part of the Arsenal family. This season I will remain fully focused on my job with the team and am looking forward to a successful last season on the pitch. After that, I look forward to the exciting challenge of helping produce young players good enough to play for the Arsenal first team."

The former Germany international also took to Twitter to reiterate his joy at the task to come but made sure to send a statement of intent regarding the 2016-17 campaign, presumably his last as a professional player:

Wenger also spoke to the Arsenal website after it was revealed another of his charges would move on to the club's backroom staff, just as the likes of Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg have in the past:

"Per is an exceptional character who is a great example for young players. He is a deep thinker about the game and committed to helping players fulfil their potential. He will be an inspirational figure for everyone connected with the academy.”

Mertesacker was barely involved in Arsenal's first-team campaign last season—on the pitch, at least—and made his first start in more than a year when he lined up for the FA Cup final win over Chelsea in May.

While his playing career may have petered out somewhat following a string of injuries and setbacks in north London, the 32-year-old will nevertheless make the move into coaching with a dazzling resume, per Squawka:

Fans at the club will hope their youngsters are in safe hands with a player who holds no previous experience in coaching, with Mertesacker set to replace Luke Hobbs, who took over from Andries Jonker in February.

The official Bundesliga Twitter account clearly felt Mertesacker to be a good addition to the Arsenal backroom staff for the 2018-19 season, by which point he'll hope to have picked up a Premier League winners' medal:

Mertesacker has thus far won three FA Cups and an FA Community Shield during his six-year stay at the Emirates and will be hoping to add more silverware to that tally before the next campaign has concluded.

The Gunners will also envision a bright future for the German behind the scenes as he prepares to take his leave of the pitch in pursuit of work in moulding the club's future successes.