Per Mertesacker is extremely proud of the success at our academy - and who could blame him?
If ever there was a testament to the incredible work done by Per and the team at Hale End, it was seeing seven academy graduates play in our pre-season tour game against AC Milan in Singapore - along with several more starlets in the matchday squad.
Each one of those has graduated since Per took charge of Hale End following his retirement as a professional footballer in 2018. But the development of a footballer isn't only about what they do on the pitch, but, as Per explains, how they grow as people off of it.