Thomas Vermaelen: Arsenal 'Sending A Message' To Premier League Rivals

Free-scoring Arsenal's second place in the Premier League table is sending a message to the club's title rivals, according to Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen - an astute £10 million purchase from Eredivise side Ajax in the summer.

Arsenal have racked up 25 points after 11 games, and currently lie five points shy of leaders Chelsea, albeit with a game in hand.

"If we look at the rankings we're second and I think it is a message to other teams that we're involved in the race to be champions," Vermaelen is quoted by Sport as saying.

"It's good that we've had a good series of games, it's important to continue and stay focused on every game because there are a lot of important games. Every game is important," he said.

"It's never easy in the first 25 minutes, they are very aggressive physically," the versatile 23-year-old added, in reference to the weekend win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"It's never with the crowd so it's good to win 4-1 here."

The Gunners return from the international break with fixtures against Sunderland, Standard Liege, and a massive home tie against Chelsea.

Alan Dawson, Goal.com

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