West Brom ace opens up on former Arsenal man who taught him ‘the art of defending’
West Brom defender Semi Ajayi has revealed that former Arsenal enforcer Per Mertesacker taught him the art of defending.
The Nigerian recalled his time with the Gunners, claiming that the German defender used to take time out of training to mentor him.
After his switch to Rotherham, Ajayi impressed massively in the Championship before making the move to the Hawthorns in the summer.
Ajayi spoke about the influence of Mertesacker recently and claimed it will stick with him for the entirety of his career.
“Per Mertesacker took a lot of time out to teach me the art of defending and give me some wisdom that he’s picked along the way and shared with me, and I was really grateful for that,” he said, via Birmingham Live.
“The things that I learned while I was there will serve me for the rest of my career.”
The 26-year-old has definitely impressed at the Hawthorns this season, and has stepped ahead of Kyle Bartley in the pecking order in less than one campaign.
Before the enforced break, Ahmed Hegazi and Bartley were swapping positions alongside Ajayi as he cemented his spot in the back four for Slaven Bilic.
The towering defender has a similar presence to Mertesacker and has scored five in his 35 appearances this season, as well as making an impressive 3.4 clearances according to WhoScored.
West Brom fans have been impressed with the Nigerian since he arrived at the club, and it looks like they could Mertesacker to thank.
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