Per Mertesacker to walk out on his job at Arsenal – leaving club ‘incredibly sad’ after his key role in developing youth stars Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman

Per Mertesacker will step down as Arsenal‘s academy manager at the end of the season after eight years in the role.

The Gunners confirmed his departure in a club statement, with the 41-year-old saying it was time to ‘explore something new’.

The former German international has overseen the north London club’s academy since 2018, having moved straight into the position after retiring as a player.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman are among the players to have come through the Hale End production line and into Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal first team during his watch.

He said: ‘Arsenal is and will always be a very special club to me, so this was a difficult decision.

‘I am very thankful for the trust the club put in me when transitioning from a first-team player directly into the role as head of academy.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman have broken through under the German

‘Now it is time for me to move on and explore something new and push myself even further.’

CEO Richard Garlick added: ‘We support Per’s decision to pursue something new, but we will be incredibly sad to see him leave at the end of the season.

‘We were fortunate to have retained Per as academy manager once he finished his playing career with us in 2018. He understands what Arsenal stands for and this has been a constant in his leadership.

‘We’re happy that Per remains in role until the end of the season whilst we focus on our succession plan. We continue in our pursuit of winning major trophies with a sustained focus and investment in our academy.’