News about Per Mertesacker

It is not often that you find a German rooting for England at a major tournament but with Germany out of the Euros, that's exactly what former World Cup winner Per Mertesacker is doing. 'They've been terrific, haven't they?' said a laughing Mertesacker. 'But they have an amazing opportunity now. Nothing has actually surprised me because they have players that understand big moments so England fans have to be excited. 'It hasn't been the fluid football that everyone wants to see but it has been amazing in terms of coming back from behind. That is what stands out for me. You have to embrace those moments and those players like Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka.'

England's players have been treated to an after-dinner performance, courtesy of Mother Nature.  Incredible storms hit Germany on Monday evening just as the Three Lions were finishing their meals at their forest retreat. Insiders said the group took in the action from the windows, with giant hailstones battering the area. 'Pretty spectacular' said one witness. The storm was so noteworthy that it triggered an alert at UEFA HQ, prompting a check with the England group to ensure all was OK. More than 8.6m viewers tuned in to ITV's coverage of Scotland's tournament opening match with hosts Germany - making it the most-watched opening game since Euro 1996. In Germany, 22.5m watched on ZDF, which was more than the first match of the 2006 World Cup in the country.

If one thing we are certain: Sir Keir Starmer, 61, Labour Party leader and potentially our next Prime Minister, loves football. He says so, often and unequivocally. He is almost lyrical about it. It is not just the game but that sense of collective purpose - the communal rituals marking triumph and disaster - that comes when you watch footie live with 60,000 others in a stadium, which entrances him and releases him from the constraints of Westminster.

The Magpies marked the occasion in style by defeating Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on Wednesday night to leap top of Group F by four points in two games for their first Champions League appearance in 20 years. Burn, who also scored in the game, was asked if any of his coworkers managed to snag Kylian Mbappe's shirt, which he replied: 'I'm not sure, you'll have to ask.' I'm sorry about shirts now, but you should know that you've played against them on YouTube and see that they've won, so I haven't asked for anyone's shirt.' 'I have a cracking lot of stuff...' As one of the only three ones I've got, I've got Peter Crouch's, Per Mertesacker, and Wayne Routledge. I'm pleased; get them framed on the wall.'

When the youngster came on during a 3-0 victory over Brentford in September, he became the youngest player in Premier League history at the age of 15 years and 181 days. Since Chelsea and Manchester City as one of the teams fighting to sign the teenager, there has been a lot of excitement in his services. Arsenal has managed to fend off curiosity and have made it clear that Nwaneri will continue to play for the club for at least the foreseeable future until he signs a professional deal.

According to reports, Chelsea and Man City are battling to sign Arsenal's highly rated youth player, Ethan Nwaneri. When the midfielder came on against Brentford in September, he became the youngest player in Premier League history at the age of 15 years and 181 days.

Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker believes that the Gunners are in a good spot to sign Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan. Barcelona is said to be gearing up to the signing of Gundogan on a free transfer, according to reports. However, Mertesacker believes Arsenal will sign the 32-year-old, whose City deal comes to an end this month.

DANIEL MATTHEWS: Mikel Arteta's mind was made up in July 2016. The Spaniard, who was 34 years old and recently disabled, had the opportunity to continue as a mentor and coach at Arsenal. Mauricio Pochettino, too, wanted him on his Tottenham Hotspur staff. However, Arteta had opted to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Something else had resurfaced in Arteta's mind about that time. It was involving his former club and Per Mertesacker. "You're losing me now, you're asking too late," Mertesacker recalls. 'But he told Ivan, "You can't lose this guy." "Just put him somewhere." On the same day as Arsenal's 8-2 loss to Manchester United in 2011, Arteta and Mertesacker arrived in north London. They were together for five seasons under Arsene Wenger's leadership. They are now in tandem once more. Arsenal took Arteta's recommendation and named Mertesacker as the academy boss shortly after he stopped playing. They finally listened to the Germans, as well as the French. Mertesacker recommended Arteta for the top job after Wenger resigned in 2018.

Despite the fact that the Qatar World Cup came only two months ago, it seems years since Lionel Messi paraded around the Lusail Stadium with the trophy on display. The Argentina legend and his national teammates were among the new crop of athletes to be inducted into a very select group of athletes to have won a World Cup. Over the years, there have been a slew of players to have earned the coveted award, from Per Mertesacker to Ronaldo Nazario. Here, Sportsmail challenges you to name five other players who have won the trophy - but it may be struggle to spot them all straight away!

Following the country's dismal group stage exit at the World Cup, Toni Kroos believes Per Mertesacker would be the 'right' candidate to take over as Germany's head coach. Despite Hansi Flick's poor showing at the tournament, the German FA announced last Wednesday that he will remain as the national team coach. Kroos, a real Madrid midfielder who retired from international football in 2021, believes that his ex-World Cup teammate Mertesacker should be seriously considered for the role.

According to reports, Per Mertesacker may have a chance to take over as the German FA's new sporting director, following the national team's humiliating group stage exit from the World Cup. Despite beating Costa Rica and drawing against Spain, Germany didn't recover from Japan's humiliating 2-1 loss in their first match of the tournament's opener and then fell out before the knockouts, as they did at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Following calls for a radical reform within the executive body before Euro 2024, DFB sports director Oliver Bierhoff quit on Monday.

As last season's Women's Super League runners-up began preparations for the new season, Chido Obi scored a hat-trick behind closed doors. Arsenal refused to comment on the friendly to Sportsmail, but it is believed that many senior players from Jonas Eidevall's squad were not involved in the game, with some of whom were overseas on international service. Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, and Jordan Nobbs, among the Euro 2022-winning captains, have been called up by Sarina Wiegman for the World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Luxembourg next week.

BY OLLY ALLEN: Amazon's All or Nothing: The Arsenal documentary is billed as a 'behind the curtain' glimpse into the club's deep workings, which fans may not normally see. Jack Wilshere isn't an Arsenal fan by birth, but you will not find someone with a more ardent interest in the club than the Tottenham-hating, self-proclaimed "Forever Gooner." The day after the debut of the first three episodes of the documentary, Sportsmail is chatting with Wilshere, and the now retired midfielder has sat down to watch.