Wenger: Mertesacker is Arsenal fine enforcer because Germans are the only people that make money

By James Cunliffe Tuesday, January 22, 2013
12:47 PM

Arsene Wenger today made light of Per Mertesacker’s position as the Arsenal’s debt collector after a list of club fines was leaked, insisting the defender has the job because he is German.

While on a tour of the club’s London Colney training facility a supporter took a picture of the punishments meted out to Gunners stars for a range of misdemeanours - from £100 for bringing newspapers into the dressing room to £1,000 for non-attendance of home matches for players not in the squad - and posted it on a social media website where it went viral.

The picture revealed that all fines must be paid to the centre back within seven days or they would be doubled.

Asked why Mertesacker was chosen to collect the cash, Wenger joked: “The Germans do well economically and we respect that. They are the only ones that make money in Europe so that’s why we’ve chosen a German.”

The incident has however raised the issue of inner secrets being made public and the club are going to review their security procedures, but Wenger, while saddened, felt there was no spitefulness intended from the supporter.

“It’s more disappointing than upsetting,” the Frenchman said.

“It’s one of the things that I’ve told you before. You cannot keep anything inside [the club] anymore.

“It’s frustrating because I feel you have a right to privacy inside the dressing room and when that is not respected that is disappointing, but it was not malicious.

“It is more innocent. The intention, for me, counts and I don’t think that the intention had anything bad behind that.

“It’s more disappointing than anything else.”