International duty beckons for £9m Gunners signing

Germany coach Joachim Loew has congratulated Per Mertesacker on his move to Arsenal this summer, in a sign that the centre back will be a big part of the national side’s plans in the future.

"It was a very good move for him," Loew said, and pundits and fans would agree that Mertesacker will gain a higher quality of experience playing for a side that is participating in the Champions League.


 

Mertesacker already has 75 caps for the German side, and was part of the team in the 2010 World Cup that defeated England 4-1 and got through to the semi-finals.

His appeal for both club and country was part of the reason Arsenal wanted to purchase him this transfer window.

And after Arsenal were defeated 8-2 to Manchester United on Sunday, Arsene Wenger went on a spending rampage to sign five players over 24 hours.

Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, Chu Young Park and Yossi Benayoun also worked out deals with Arsenal over the last day, and will join Mertesacker when the Gunners take on Swansea after the international break.