Per Mertesacker

“It's hard work to do important games for the club every three or four days, that is very physical.”

“Playing at the highest level really is something special for me.”

“Suarez is like a cheeky boy, he looks like a cheeky boy who can really switch on and off how he wants to be, so that is really something. When he is on the pitch, what is going on around him doesn't bother him.”

“I wasn't that good at football aged 14 or 15. I didn't take it too seriously.”

“You learn a lot from defeats. As well, you need to learn from victories.”

“One thing is for sure, I will give everything every time I put on the Arsenal shirt.”

“The first Premier League season is always tough for anyone.”

“The interaction between the goalkeeper and the back four has to be top to compete in the Premier League.”

“We cannot take responsibility for every goal we concede, we all need to do our part across the field to ensure we win as a team.”

“It is an important duty at Arsenal for the experienced players to show the younger ones that there is a chance to make it into the first team.”

“I want to show on the training pitch that I am ready whenever the manager needs me.”

“For a national player it is a good thing to get experience playing abroad.”

“I was lucky to get a professional contract. I wasn't that sort of talent that is considered to be a professional player.”

“I've never had that dream in my head: 'I want to play Bundesliga or Premier League.' I was a fan, but it was never the dream that one day I was going to make it, because a lot of people had told me already that I wouldn't.”

“I had a great time at SV Werder Bremen and I'm grateful to the club.”

“In certain situations, players should protect themselves by not losing track of the most important things in their job.”

“Moving to London enables me to fulfil a dream and a further step in my career. The Premier League has always represented a great challenge for me.”

“I think it is so beneficial to English and British football when youngsters see different cultures and environments.”