The defender says the Germany international has been huge for his progress.
Arsenal youngster Calum Chambers says Per Mertesacker has been a massive influence on him during his time at the club, in comments to the Gunners’ official website.
The young defender has endured a disappointing campaign, managing just 12 appearances in the Premier League all season.
That is a stark contrast to his first year at the club, in which he made 23 appearances and impressed following his move from Southampton.
He is still regarded as one for the future by the club as they seek to continue their development of youngsters for the first-team setup.
Key to him breaking back in will be learning from those established pros already ahead of him, and in that regard Chambers says Mertesacker has been massive for him.
“Per Mertesacker has been a big influence on me,” he told arsenal.com.
“Since I have come here, he has almost taken me under his wing. In a friendly way, he is always getting on my case.
“If I’m two minutes late to something, he is already there and having a go at me. He keeps me on my toes. He gives me advice and he is always there for me to talk to. He has been massive.”
This season has certainly been a disappointing one for Chambers after such an impressive first campaign at the club last year.
Indeed, there is already talk of there being an overhaul in the summer transfer window, and it will be interesting to see if he is among those being considered for the cut.
That seems unlikely, although perhaps the player should seek an exit to help his career if it transpires a bit-part role is the best he can hope for in the future.
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