Wenger confirms Mertesacker deal and does not expect signings

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he does not expect the club to be busy during the final two weeks of the transfer window and has confirmed that Per Mertesacker has signed a new one-year contract.

The 32-year-old German’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season and the club have exercised an option to extend the deal by 12 months.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning, Wenger reiterated that his focus is on getting players back from injury rather than bringing in new faces ahead of the transfer deadline.

Arsenal have been linked with a number of players, but with striker Danny Welbeck available again after a long-term knee injury, Gunners boss Wenger believes his attacking options are strong enough.

“I expect it to be a very quiet period because we have Welbeck coming back now offensively, we are very strong,” Wenger said.

“We have many, many players who can come in and overall I don’t expect to do anything special.”

Mertesacker, meanwhile, is currently sidelined with a knee problem.

He has made 149 Premier League appearances for Arsenal but has not featured this season.

The centre-back’s last appearance came in the Gunners’ 1-0 win against Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium in April.