Confirmed: Per Mertesacker Joins Arsenal

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

Manager Arsene Wenger responded to the transfer on the club's official site:

We are delighted to welcome Per Mertesacker to the club. He is a German international with vast experience and strength and is good on the floor and in the air. I believe he will be well-suited to the Premier League and a tremendous asset to the team.

Mertesacker has played 75 times for Germany, and previously plied his trade at Hannover 96.