Per Mertesacker admits that he’s uncertain whether he’ll be at Arsenal next season once his contract runs out but his fitness is his priority right now.

Per has always been one of those Arsenal players who, despite only joining us five years ago, feels as if he’s been at the club forever. Perhaps it’s because he was a Gooner in his youth or his unbridled passion when we… do just about anything.

However, with the addition of Shkodran Mustafi and his resulting partnership on the pitch with Laurent Koscielny, Per’s reintroduction to the first team following his long-term knee injury isn’t looking likely.

The big German’s contract runs out in 2017 and we haven’t offered him an extension yet, it seems.

In an exclusive interview with 101 Great Goals, the centreback admitted that he doesn’t know whether he’ll be staying or not.

“I don’t know [if I’ll be staying yet],” he admitted.

“My first priority is to get back to full fitness which will still take awhile. So let’s see…”

What’s clear is that Per’s focus is just on recovering and he’ll see where he goes from there. It’s a sensible approach to have and I’m sure everyone, including him, will have a better idea of where his future lies soon enough.