‘What excites me is when the same good things happen every year’ – Per Mertesacker on Arsenal’s academy success | OneFootball

When Per Mertesacker talks about youth development, he does so with warmth and optimism, but also with firm conviction. He believes values matter as much as talent.

“You cannot have romance without responsibility,” he says. “You cannot have hype without humility.” For Mertesacker, there are no shortcuts in building footballers, or people.

Now 41, Mertesacker has been manager of the Arsenal Academy for almost eight years, and the impact of his work is increasingly clear. What he is building at Hale End is as important to the club’s future as what he contributed on the pitch. He joined Arsenal in 2011 on the same day as Mikel Arteta, and the two even drove to training together. Today, they occupy different roles but share the same outlook, shaped by Arsene Wenger. Arsenal are fortunate to have that alignment. Mertesacker’s influence within the club has never been stronger.

His perspective comes from experience. Unlike many elite players, Mertesacker did not grow up in a top academy. In Germany, he was told early that he was not good enough and had to restart his career. “That stopped my family from thinking I was going to be a star,” he recalled in an interview with Tomn Watt before members of the Arsenal Independent Supporters Association. That grounding still shapes how he works. In an age of constant noise and instant attention, he believes young players are overwhelmed. “With media now, people get too much information too fast,” he says. “We work every day to bring some sense and reality to these young players.”

That sense of reality defines life at Hale End. Education is prioritised over entitlement, and unnecessary privileges have been removed. Taxi credits were scrapped. Workshops now focus on media awareness, mental health and identity. Mertesacker is also brutally honest with parents, even when children are very young. “Only a very small number will make it,” he tells them. “It is less than one per cent.” Football is central to the academy, but it is never presented as the only future.

The success of that approach is visible. Bukayo Saka stands as the clearest example, admired not only for his quality but for his character. Saka still takes time to speak to staff at London Colney, something Mertesacker values deeply. “He is aware of all the people who helped him get to where he is,” he says. “It goes full circle.” For Mertesacker, that awareness matters as much as performance.

Behind Saka, another generation is emerging. Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman are not overnight successes. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have been in the system for more than ten years, while Dowman has spent seven years developing. Mertesacker enjoys that continuity. “What excites me is when the same good things happen every year,” he says. “That’s when you know something is working.”

He smiles recalling their early days. Lewis-Skelly was driving through midfield fearlessly before the age of ten. Nwaneri was scoring goals despite being smaller and less physically developed. Their strengths were protected and encouraged rather than controlled. “We don’t want to tell them what to do all the time,” Mertesacker explains. “There are rules, but there is also freedom.” He points to Lewis-Skelly’s bravery in the Champions League this season. “No matter what plan you have, you cannot stop someone from doing something great like that.”

The bridge to the first team is now strong. Where academy players once caused uncertainty, they are now trusted contributors. Arteta’s squad welcomes them because they help win games. “If you can help us win a duel or a game, you are welcome,” Mertesacker says.

For him, success is not about early appearances or money spent. It is about readiness, for football and for life beyond it. “We do things the Arsenal way, in our own time” he says. And at Hale End, that future is already taking shape: grounded and built to last.