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Goal.com Analysis: What The Experts Say On Thomas Vermaelen's Arsenal Switch
Goal.com's international team of editors gives its initial response to the Gunners' first big summer signing...
19-Jun-2009 11:58:20 PM
Thomas Vermaelen's €12 million move to Arsenal from Ajax has raised eyebrows across both England and Benelux due to the large fee involved for the stopper.
The young defender certainly has his advocates - not least Gunners' coach Arsene Wenger - but does everyone feel the same?
We asked some of Goal.com's local experts for their thoughts...
"I'm sceptical about this move. The guy was a fine player for Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie, but he never showed any signs of success at a higher level, namely in the Champions League. Even allowing for the fact that he's a Belgian international, Ajax have done very, very well to get €12m for him." -- Wout Stravers, Amsterdam correspondent for Goal.com Netherlands
"An underwhelming acquisition for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. He adds no height advantage to what William Gallas and Kolo Toure already offer, but his versatility may help the Gunners during what could be a gruelling campaign as he is able to deputise for Gael Clichy at left-back despite Kieran Gibbs' continued development." -- Alan Dawson for Goal.com International in north London
"Thomas Vermaelen was a good defender for Ajax, but the step from the Eredivisie to Premier League is a huge one. He did a good job regarding man-marking in the Netherlands, but had some problems when he had to play far from his own goal, high up the pitch with a lot of space behind him: a good example in this last season was a 4-1 defeat at Vitesse. In addition, all the players in the Premier League are physically very strong, so I think he will need quite a lot of time to get used to that.
"His advantage is that he's a versatile player: he can play in the centre of the defence or at left-back. However, I don't think he will be an immediate big threat to Kolo Toure and William Gallas. Ajax will be happy with the fee they got for him, as it's quite good for a defender from the Eredivisie. Now he's the second most expensive Belgian player in history after Marouane Fellaini from Everton, but does he justify it? He's been good, but not great, for Ajax, so it's not like when Wesley Sneijder left after his amazing 2006-07 campaign. Instead, he has a lot more to prove, and I'm extremely curious to see how he'll cope with it." -- Tommy Vaneldik, chief editor of Goal.com Netherlands
"Another summer in which Arsene Wenger makes noises about experience and ends up going for youth first. As good as his record at spotting young players is, was it really wise to spend such a sum on this position, especially for a player who could - to the pessimist - appear to be the next Philippe Senderos? Time will tell, but if I was an Arsenal fan I would be scratching my head." -- Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com International chief editor
The young defender certainly has his advocates - not least Gunners' coach Arsene Wenger - but does everyone feel the same?
We asked some of Goal.com's local experts for their thoughts...
"I'm sceptical about this move. The guy was a fine player for Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie, but he never showed any signs of success at a higher level, namely in the Champions League. Even allowing for the fact that he's a Belgian international, Ajax have done very, very well to get €12m for him." -- Wout Stravers, Amsterdam correspondent for Goal.com Netherlands
"An underwhelming acquisition for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. He adds no height advantage to what William Gallas and Kolo Toure already offer, but his versatility may help the Gunners during what could be a gruelling campaign as he is able to deputise for Gael Clichy at left-back despite Kieran Gibbs' continued development." -- Alan Dawson for Goal.com International in north London
"Thomas Vermaelen was a good defender for Ajax, but the step from the Eredivisie to Premier League is a huge one. He did a good job regarding man-marking in the Netherlands, but had some problems when he had to play far from his own goal, high up the pitch with a lot of space behind him: a good example in this last season was a 4-1 defeat at Vitesse. In addition, all the players in the Premier League are physically very strong, so I think he will need quite a lot of time to get used to that.
"His advantage is that he's a versatile player: he can play in the centre of the defence or at left-back. However, I don't think he will be an immediate big threat to Kolo Toure and William Gallas. Ajax will be happy with the fee they got for him, as it's quite good for a defender from the Eredivisie. Now he's the second most expensive Belgian player in history after Marouane Fellaini from Everton, but does he justify it? He's been good, but not great, for Ajax, so it's not like when Wesley Sneijder left after his amazing 2006-07 campaign. Instead, he has a lot more to prove, and I'm extremely curious to see how he'll cope with it." -- Tommy Vaneldik, chief editor of Goal.com Netherlands
"Another summer in which Arsene Wenger makes noises about experience and ends up going for youth first. As good as his record at spotting young players is, was it really wise to spend such a sum on this position, especially for a player who could - to the pessimist - appear to be the next Philippe Senderos? Time will tell, but if I was an Arsenal fan I would be scratching my head." -- Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com International chief editor
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