Per Mertesacker revealed that he thought about ending his playing career last season, but has decided to play until the end of his contract in 2018.
He also said he will be taking on a non-playing role at the club after his retirement from the game, in a recent interview with Sport 1.
During the interview, the defending giant revealed: “”I do not stop immediately, I have a year contract and will definitely continue
“Arsenal would like to keep me, as there are already talks: it will be in the operational business, I will be on the other side.”
Over the past season Mertesacker has suffered with injury, following a major knee problem which he picked up before the season had started.
The injury meant that the Gunners captain didn’t make and appearance until the very end of the season, with a stunning performance in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, where his side won 2-1.
Mertesacker was awarded man-of-the-match after the FA Cup final – an impressive feat considering he’d only played a mere 37 minutes over the entirety of the season, in the final game of the Premier League against Everton.
However, despite his performance, the 32-year-old admitted that he told Arsene Wenger that he felt “mentally drained”.
He admitted to the German media that this was the first time he’d felt that way in his career, which led to him thinking of quitting.
However, he is now set to remain as a player for another year and in a non-playing capacity beyond that.