The German defender, as exclusively revealed by Goal last month, will be the club captain for the coming campaign despite having been ruled out for four months with a knee injury.
Santi Cazorla is expected to lead the Gunners out against Liverpool on Sunday as vice-captain Laurent Koscielny is not considered match fit for the Premier League opener.
Mertesacker, 31, is one of the most experienced players at Emirates Stadium and has been handed the armband after Mikel Arteta retired from football to take up a coaching role alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Despite being out of contract at the end of the season, Mertesacker is a trusted member of the squad and is the 'chief fine collector' at Arsenal's London Colney training ground for players who commit misdemeanours including being late to training.
Congratulations @mertesacker. Respected figure inside the Arsenal dressing room. https://t.co/T6WleEsNFq pic.twitter.com/KoZ2yb0uGI— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) August 13, 2016
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