Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi Is The Key To Per Mertesacker

Shkodran Mustafi has hailed the impact of Per Mertesacker throughout his Arsenal career thus far, vindicating the utility of the club captain.

Experience is a vastly underrated and hugely influential trait to have. It is something that there is no shortcut to building. Simply, playing games, against a variety of opponents in a variety of contexts is the only way. It is also an ability that Arsenal have lacked in recent years.

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Due to Arsene Wenger’s priority of acquiring and developing youth, his squad is often one of the youngest in the league. As such, experience is something that they have lacked. And it has shown in a number of high-profile losses over the years.

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However, there are some players in the squad that are knowledgeable and insightful, able to lead their younger teammates in an attempt to grow and develop their skills. One such man is Per Mertesacker and, if his teammates are to be believed, he has a rather influential impact. Speaking with Arsenal player, international and now club teammate Shkodran Mustafi has hailed the tutelage of Mertesacker throughout his first season in North London, stating:

"“Per helped me a lot. When I had just arrived, having a person at the club with so much experience and with the personality he has helped me a lot. He helps me on the pitch because when he sees things, he corrected me a few times. He’s not just the type of player who says, ‘You didn’t do that well enough’ or, ‘You have to do it this way’, he tells you why. In the short time that I worked with him in the national team, I learned a lot from him.”"

Those comments are revealing and encouraging. Whether Arsenal teammates are willing to criticise one another has been a point of criticism from the media and the fanbase. The apparent absence of leaders, players with forceful characters and knowledge to impart, has been an issue that has plagued this team.

However, Mustafi’s comments tend to challenge that position. While I still believe that the lack of leaders within the squad is a major worry, it is still comforting to hear that Mertesacker is having an influence on the younger players.

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Mustafi is far from the finished article. He has made rash decisions of late and can be caught out of position at times. As such, there is still much for him to learn as he continues to adapt to English football. His development over the coming months will be key to the vindication of Mertesacker’s role at the club.