I Was Shocked, Unacceptable, A Failure – Arsenal Youth Boss Unhappy With This

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Arsenal academy director Per Mertesacker has conceded that he feels disappointed at not seeing a single Gunner in the England senior squad.

In the recently concluded international break, the England squad did not have a single player from the Arsenal team, while the other top-six sides had a good representation.  

Arsenal have a rich history of providing players for the England squad and until recently had a number of players playing for the Three Lions.

But the tap has run dry and Mertesacker feels that it is a failure on the club’s part that none of the Arsenal players made it to the England senior squad.
 

He admits that he felt disappointed that while the other top teams have England senior internationals, Arsenal are lagging behind.

“I was shocked”, the German told The Athletic.

“No senior England players. That’s unacceptable. That’s a failure.
 

“When you look at the England squad, you see players from Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea… They all have players there – and not one. Two or three.

“That’s what we need.”

Mertesacker stressed the importance of developing a British core at Arsenal again as he feels it changes the culture in and around the team as the club remain a British club.

He wants Arsenal to again have British players at the heart of their operations.

“We used to joke about having a ‘British core’ – Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey – but that’s essentially what we need.

“The British core ensures the English language is first, it creates the culture. It’s important.”

Arsenal currently have eight Brigith players in their first team squad, but just one played in the north London derby before the international break, while Spurs had four British players on the pitch.