Mertesacker tweeted his delight at being back at the Emirates last week

Published: 18 August, 2014
By GEOFFREY SAWYER

ARSENAL were hoping their trio of German World Cup winners could extend their summer break until at least the weekend – but manager Arsene Wenger may now be forced to rush centre back Per Mertesacker back to first team action earlier than he had planned.

The club are checking on the fitness of Laurent Koscielny, a goalscorer against Crystal Palace on Saturday, ahead of their crunch Champions League qualifying match in Turkey against Besiktas tomorrow (Tuesday).

Koscielny is suffering from an Achiles problem, which flared up after the opening Premiership fixture – a 2-1 win against the Eagles during which right back Kieran Gibbs was also injured.

Wenger said: "We will assess Koscielny. If he is capable to play, I will play him. I planed to bring the Germans back in contention for Everton but, in case of emergency, I will take Mertesacker. It’s a bit early for Mertesacker. Ideally he would need one more week preparation. He’s willing to play."