Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 7y

Arsenal activate Per Mertesacker's one-year contract extension

LONDON -- Arsenal have taken up the option to extend captain Per Mertesacker's contract by a year, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed.

Mertesacker is yet to play for the Gunners since being handed the armband in August because of a serious knee injury, but Wenger said the club have exercised an option to extend his contract by one more year. The centre-back's current deal was set to expire this summer.

"He has an option that we have taken. There was no negotiation, there was just an option that we took up," Wenger said on Thursday during his news conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League game against Burnley.

Arsenal also have an option to extend midfielder Santi Cazorla's contract by a year, which Wenger has said the club will take despite the Spaniard having a long-term injury as well. French trio Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin also signed long-term extensions with the club last week, although Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have yet to commit their futures to the Gunners.

Mertesacker is back in light training but Wenger said he is still "a few weeks away" from playing again. However, a club source told ESPN FC on Tuesday that the club is not looking to send the German out on loan in January in order to get playing time.

And Wenger said having Mertesacker available will be important for the squad's depth during the final half of the season.

"Look, with the number of games we have, it's important that we have all our experienced players back," Wenger said. "Everybody is focused to do well -- we are going into the moment of truth now, January until May. There are five months to go and ideally you want all your players with big experience back in the squad."

Arsenal are set to lose at least one defender, however, as right-back Carl Jenkinson is closing in on a permanent transfer to Crystal Palace. However, Wenger said the deal is still not finalised as Jenkinson has yet to agree personal terms with Palace.

"It is basically down to him to find an agreement with them," Wenger said.

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