Mertesacker hopes become Arsenal legend
Arsenal central defender Per Mertesacker again hopes to emulate the feats of his role model Tony Adams as he prepares to make his debut for the Gunners against Swansea.
Mertesacker is needed to move one side of Arsene Wenger immediately, with Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen out of action for about six weeks after undergoing ankle surgery on Monday.
The German, who left Werder Bremen for £ 8 million during the recent transfers, looks forward to the challenge of getting Arsenal back to the glory days when Adams was the experienced captain. The Englishman led the team to four league titles and won the double twice in Wenger.
"We did not get many pictures of him on TV, but Adams is a legend here. It's special to me," said the club's official website Mertesacker.
"When I saw the English football I've always tried to Arsenal and was one of the great defenders when he was 10 or 12 years, I'm like the players [as Adams] very -. I liked the view in recent years.
"I hope to improve my performance here and getting better - I want to be useful for the team."
Wenger has decided to strengthen the team with transfers within South Korea Park Chu-Young, advocates and Andre Santos Mertesacker and swoops late to midfield pair Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta.
Emmanuel Frimpong will be back from his suspension, but Alex Song and Gervinho must serve the final three games of the prohibition in the first day in Newcastle.
