Arsenal academy chief Per Mertesacker has entered the club in the U21 Checkatrade Trophy for next season.

The Gunners will join under-21 teams from other Premier League clubs Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in next year's competition, which will continue in its current format with the country's leading Category One Academies looking to take on professionals, young and old, from the 48 League One and League Two Clubs.

Mertesacker said: “We're pleased to be entering our Under 21s in the Checkatrade Trophy this forthcoming season.

“We feel it's important to provide our young players with a variety of experiences in their development and we certainly felt that by entering the Checkatrade Trophy, the players will face different challenges from strong club sides.

“With many of the players in this age group destined to go on loan soon in their careers, the experiences from this competition can act as a very good link between academy and first-team football."