Germany international, Per Mertesacker’s impressive performances since the turn of the year have seen him usurp Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen from the starting eleven. Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny form Wenger’s first-choice central defender partnership this season, with Vermaelen relegated to the bench.

The 29-year-old joined the Gunners at the beginning of the 2011-12 season, but it has only been in the last year or so that he has lived up to his true potential.

The German has been impeccable at the back for the Gunners this season, and he has converted a formerly leaky defence to quite a stubborn one. Their strong defensive showing has enabled Arsenal to rise to the top of the standings in the Barclays Premier League, having amassed 28 points from their opening 12 encounters.

Mertesacker’s rise can be seen from his international prominence, as he captained Germany to a 1-0 win over England in their international friendly at Wembley on Tuesday, a game in which he himself scored the winner.

According to the Daily Mail, Wenger has confirmed that the club are in talks with Mertesacker over a possible contract extension. The centre-half joined Arsenal from Werder Bremen in a £10 million deal in 2011 and his current contract expires at the end of next season.

Wenger has faith in the ability of his tall centre-back and he is reportedly looking to extend his deal till 2017. He said, “We are in the process of extending Per Mertesacker’s contract. He has one and a half years left – there is plenty of time.”

He returned to the starting eleven for the weekend’s 2-0 win over surprise-package Southampton delivering another excellent performance, having missed the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United with a flu bug.