With the impressive form of Arsenal centre backs Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertasacker, Arsenal club captain Thomas Vermaelen has been limited to just 3 premier league starts and amazingly only one minute of champions league football this season. Vermaelen has found himself warming the bench more often than not, but thats not surprising when considering Arsenal with the pairing of Kosielny and Mertasacker while playing together for 90 minutes are in fact undefeated in two years.
Arsene Wenger is reported to have turned down an offer from Napoli for the out-of-favour Belgian defender which is not surprising with Arsenal still fighting on domestic and european fronts for trophies and since Vermaelen is the only out and out central defensive cover Arsenal have got at the moment it would be risky to loose someone of such importance to the club especially right now, but with the World Cup looming the player himself will be aware his own place in the World Cup could be at risk.
Napoli are not the only team to have shown interest in Thomas Vermaelen of late with West Ham being linked recently to trying to take the defender on loan for the rest of the season, although Sam Allardyce admitting it has unlikely to happen.
Written by W.Cutmore
