Is Thomas Vermaelen Returning?

Is Thomas Vermaelen Returning?

Arsenal might strengthen the defense with former Captain Thomas Vermaelen. Even though strengthen is a strong word given the fact that the Belgium international has made only 21 appearances for Barcelona during the 2 seasons he spent there, he could still be a solid substitute to have around during tough times. He looks on the right track right now which looked almost unachievable after being injured for an entire year. Vermaelen could represent good business for Arsenal who should now be able to sign the former Gunner for around £3million thus making a profit of about £12million. The 30-year-old center-back is under contract with Barcelona until 2019 but it is very likely to cut short his Spanish adventure which just as for Song and Fabregas, turned out to be a quite disappointing one.

If Vermaelen does manage to somehow convince Wenger, he should return to Emirates he would be the first out of 10 players who played for both clubs to do so. Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Hleb, Van Bronckhorst, Song, Sylvinho, Fabregas and Henry all left Emirates to play for Barcelona but never returned despite rumors of possible repatriations after failed attempts to adapt to Spanish football.


According to the Daily Mirror, Vermaelen could be given a hand due to current circumstances. Arsenal can only count on 3 central defenders: Mertesacker, Gabriel Pauilsta and Calum Chambers. Koscielny will miss the start of the season and another injury to any of the available defenders could be a huge blow for Wenger who needs to make sure the 2016-2017 season starts out on a positive note. Wenger is known for trying to be as cost efficient as possible so cheaply buying or bringing Vermaelen on loan could be right up his alley. It would be great to see the Frenchman sign a new defender despite all of the former captain’s experience. He would not need acclimatisation time, he would know how to work with Wenger and he should be able to hold up pretty well in front of PL attackers as he did during his years as Arsenal’s number one defender. On the other hand, he could be a risk not worth taking as he insisted to leave despite being captain. He is also prone to injury and will be turning 31 this year. Instead why not sign Caceres who will be apt to play in October and is now without contract and give someone like Tolaji Bola or Marc Bola a chance to make contact with the Premier League. Both youngsters have impressed while playing for the U18 team and could be around to step in if the chance presents itself.