With Arsenal’s rumored interest in Swansea center-back Ashley Williams, the focus shifts to out-of-form Gunners center-back Thomas Vermaelen.
For the last two months of the season, the Belgian’s backside was firmly planted on the bench as Arsene Wenger opted for a center-back partnership of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. Wenger implemented the decision following Vermaelen’s horrid showing in the 2-1 loss to rivals Spurs on March 3rd.
Since that match, the Arsenal captain has only appeared in a single Premier League fixture, the 3-1 victory over Norwich City (Mertesacker was suspended for the match). Wenger’s decision to bench Vermaelen proved a stroke of genius, as the Gunners finished on a brisk run of form going undefeated in their last 10 matches (winning eight and drawing only twice) to finish in 4th place and capture a coveted spot in the Champions League.
So what’s prompted Vermaelen’s drop in form this season?
Mainly, he’s been too aggressive making runs out of the back. This overly zealous desire to get forward leaves the rest of the Arsenal defense exposed. Then, when Vermaelen tries to recover he’s either unable to do so or commits daft fouls. Good teams punish these mistakes.
So the question becomes – If Arsenal do snap up the £12 million rated Williams, what should Vermaelen do?
With the Brazil World Cup now a mere 12 months away, the decision will prove vital to Vermaelen’s career.
If he stays at Arsenal and reclaims his starting spot in a club with four (above-average) center-backs, it’s highly likely that Belgian national team coach, Marc Wilmots, will call Vermaelen into his squad for next summer. If, however, Vermaelen stays at the Emirates and his form fails to improve, there’s little chance that he’ll be suiting up for Diables Rouges come June 2013.
The other option is to leave North London and look for a rebirth at another club. If you believe the rumors, clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United are both interested in Vermaelen’s services.
The Catalan giants are desperate for a new center-back to partner with Gerard Pique and Vermaelen’s speed and offensive capabilities could be a tremendous fit for the Blaugrana. But again, if the Belgian’s form fails to improve there’s no guarantee of a spot on that squad, especially with Carles Puyol, Eric Abidal and Javier Mascherano all expected to be fully fit by next August.
Cracking the Starting XI at Manchester United would be even more difficult for Vermaelen. Despite his 34 years of experience, Rio Ferdinand enjoyed such a brilliant 2012-13 campaign that United recently handed him a new one year deal. Jonny Evans is another center-back who quietly impressed this season while Nemandja Vidic is nearly back to peak condition following 14 months of injury hell. A wonderful club to play for, surely, but can he hack it at Old Trafford?
Of course, if Vermaelen wants to reduce the risk of not playing and to prove himself worthy of a call into Belgium’s World Cup squad, he can always transfer to a Premier League club outside the Top 4.
With Newcastle’s struggling defense and captain Fabricio Colocinni set to leave Tyneside, the Magpies could be a wonderful fit for the Belgian. Vermaelen could also make an immediate impact at Liverpool, where Martin Skrtel has fallen out of favor and Jamie Carragher is set to retire. The 27 year old would also be welcome at a club like Everton where Sylvain Distin is showing signs of aging and a partnership with Phil Jagielka could prove lethal.
One way or another, Thomas Vermaelen has some serious decisions to make. What do you think Vermaelen should do?
