Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger confirmed on Thursday that the English football club has extended the contract of German defender Per Mertesacker.
The 32-year-old, whom Wenger usually includes as a starter since he joined Arsenal from Germany's Werder Bremen in 2011, did not participate in a single match this season due to a knee injury, reports Efe.
However, the French coach considered that Mertesacker's experience could be decisive in the second half of the season, and he requested the player's contract to be renewed until June 2018.
According to the club's website, Wenger said: "He has an option that we have taken. There was no negotiation; there was just an option that we took up."
"Everybody is focused on doing well - we are going into the moment of truth now, January until May. There are five months to go and ideally you want all your players with big experience back in the squad," he added.
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