Arsenal players cost Arsene Wenger his job, admits Per Mertesacker
Wenger was ousted from North London during the summer after 22 years at the helm
PER MERTESACKER has told Arsene Wenger: It was our fault you lost your job.
Wenger was ousted in the summer after 22 years as the Gunners manager and replaced by Unai Emery.
And Mertesacker insists the players let the Frenchman down.
“It was a sad moment when Wenger told us he was leaving, because I had the feeling I contributed my share to it,” former centre-half Mertesacker, who now works as Arsenal’s academy manager, told ESPN.
“His farewell was also the players’ fault because we had many chances to get better results. We failed while he backed us all the time.
“I was the first who felt the need to say something and said I deeply regretted it.”
Wenger won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups during his time at Arsenal.
But he was axed following fan unrest which grew as he failed to land the title since the 2004 Invincibles.
His final season saw Arsenal finish a lowly seventh.
Mertesacker added: “It was important for him to see that we had something to say as a team and that we stood by his side.”
