Should Arsenal offer this rock-solid performer a new contract?

Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United last weekend proved to the entire world exactly how good Per Mertesacker is.

The giant German was sidelined due to illness and didn’t manage to make the team’s first eleven. This sent shudders of fear throughout the Arsenal ranks.

After all, Per has been rock solid all season long. He’s strong in the tackle, unbeatable in the air and he’s smart too. Most importantly, he’s got the leadership skills and the organisational nous to lead the Arsenal back-line.

Arsenal’s attacking outlook tends to make their defenders look like mugs, but Per Mertesacker has helped to add some consistency at the back. It’s no coincidence that Laurent Koscielny has developed so quickly whilst playing alonside Per. The German simply oozes confidence and he won’t settle for anything less than the best from his team mates.

He’s one of the major reasons why Arsenal are doing so well this season. The Gunners finally have a solid base to build upon.

So his absence was keenly felt at last Sunday’s afternoon kick-off. Particularly when Wayne Rooney floated in a cross and there was no one there to stop Robin Van Persie from heading home.

Whilst it would be churlish to argue that Per would have stopped it, his aerial presence would surely have had some effect. That’s before we even get to the number of corners and set-pieces that Arsenal wasted. If Per had been there, the Gunners would certainly have had more presence.

All this leads me to the following news story, courtesy of The Star. They claim that Arsenal are trying to sign the big German up for another four years by offering him a brand new contract.

He’s no spring chicken (he’s 29-years-old), but with just 18 months left on his contract, Arsenal have to do something. He’s already proven how important he is to this side and the Gunners would do well to keep hold of him for as long as possible.

Now that he’s playing alongside Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski, I’m sure Per will be keen to stay too. Let’s hope that his new contract gets sorted out with the minimal amount of fuss.

Then Arsene Wenger just needs to sort out Bacary Sagna’s situation…

What’s your take? Has Per Mertesacker earned a new deal?

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