Per Mertesacker has been introducing himself to the kids at Hale End and setting up meetings as he uses his spare time to get ready for life in his new role, so what sort of manager is he going to be?
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The BFG has already begin to ease himself into life as the new head of Arsenal’s Academy despite technically still being a player and not in the role until the end of the season.
Despite only being 33, Mertesacker will retire from playing when this season ends and will take over the Academy role that has been filled only temporarily since Andries Jonker left to manager Wolfsburg at the start of 2017.
Luke Hobbs has been in charge in the interim.
Seen as the ideal candidate to bridge the gap between the academy and the first team, Mertesacker has been spending much of his free time at Hale End, meeting players and setting up planning meetings with coaches.
But what sort of manager will Per Mertesacker make? We took a look at what his career to date tells us and what others have said about him to compile a comprehensive overview of what Per will bring to the role.
Next: Per Mertesacker’s management style