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Per Mertesacker has stood up for Arsenal teammate Mesut Ozil, who has received criticism in Germany after mixed performances at club and national level.
The playmaker was booed by German fans in last year’s friendly victory over Chile and, whilst the national team’s World Cup triumph bought him some time, he has no won over fans in his home country.
It has been a similarly tough time in London, where the £42.5 million signing has only recently won Arsenal fans after shining intermittently since his move two years ago.
However Mertesacker has come to the defence of his colleague, saying that the English media’s perception of the 26-year-old has fed into German fans who do not see enough of the Premier League.
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The defender told transfermarkt.de: "In Germany there are often only small parts of our games aired on TV or the opinions of English journalists are simply accepted."
"Mesut is a key player for us. He was in the last season and he will be the same in the season ahead."
The German contingent at the Emirates is one lighter this year, with Lukas Podolski departing for Galatasaray on a permanent basis. And the veteran defender has said he is sad to lose such a talented colleague.
"It is a shame to lose Lukas as a team-mate," Mertesacker added. "His left foot is a weapon which I did not see with many players.
"On his day, he can still make the difference. I wish him good luck in Turkey."
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