Goal.com · Apr 23, 2018
Mertesacker admits players must shoulder blame for Wenger's Arsenal exit
Per Mertesacker admits the Arsenal squad are “in one way responsible” for Arsene Wenger’s decision to step down as manager.
The long-serving Frenchman has announced that he will be leaving a post he has occupied for 22 years at the end of the current campaign.
Pressure has been building on him for some time, with Wenger branding the protests against his reign “hurtful” in the wake of Sunday’s 4-1 victory over West Ham.
He has shouldered much of the blame for regression at Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal no longer top-four regulars, but Mertesacker concedes that under-performing players must accept that they have let an iconic presence in north London down.