Thomas Vermaelen Signs For Arsenal

That was pretty weird, I was on the Arsenal website looking at another article and the signing hadn't been announced on NewsNow, then when I looked at their list of articles it showed "Vermaelen signs for Arsenal".

I'm sure everyone will be glad to know he's one centimeter shorter than Gallas and Toure (unless Arsenal.com took the half-arsed approach of averaging 5 ft 11 and 6 ft 1).

Hopefully Silvestre will be the one making way, not Gallas or Toure. Senderos will probably go some way to funding this purchase, considering he's said he doesn't want to stay.

http://fourfourtwo.com/news/restofeurope/32928/default.aspx So much for that one.

Just glad we've got a signing under our belt but have always been confident that Arsene was going to move quickly with this one and others. I think Toure could be leaving because I don't see Gallas leaving unless he's gonna be on the sort of wages he's getting at Arsenal - and where else can he get that at this stage of his career?

af1 what rot Gibbs going on loan, you have got to be joking.

For once he's bought early, giving the player time to sort out accommodation and get somewhat settled before his summer holiday and before pre-season (imho this is SO vital, and previous last-minute deals have meant it took months longer to acclimatize for those players) - so good on Wenger for doing that. Without wanting to pour cold water on what will potentially (and I hope) be a great coup, I've been checking to see what the Ajax fans think of their captain departing for Arsenal - and most seem to think Ajax got the better of the deal (I'd be interested to know the opinion from any VitalArsenal readers that live in Holland or follow the Dutch leagues). I must say - I had always thought he would have snapped up Vincent Kompany if he was going to go for a young Belgian defender (and a steal at 6M from Hamburg). Of the other rumoured defenders (Bassong, Sakho and Hangeland) - I would happily take Sakho or Hangeland, and think that Bassong could probably do a pretty good job too. I hope there is some mileage in the Melo rumours (as I don't think Mahamadou Diarra or Yaya Toure will be available on our resources). He seems a tall, elegant competitor - a bit like a more slender Gilberto but with a bit more of a player in him. Finally - I'd like to see Adebeyor out asap and a new goalscoring onside forward come in. Chances of 3 signings before July ? I can hope eh ?

ill take it Senderos is not returning, what does this mean for Kolo, Johan, Billy and Silvestre - hopefully Silvestre will be put down, but i dont want to see Billy or Kolo go

I know full well Rocky, but I am more right than wrong... :D

eh, I am not sure pigmentation issues have ever been cited as a reason for poor defending. Can you just hear Alan Hansen "look at this, this is appalling, the defender has completely lost his man and the distribution of his melanin is very poor"

Watching Michael Owen is like watching a once proud greyhound hobble around on 3 legs. If pace is all you got . . .

Well that would appear to be a very clear message to one of your own-- Toure. he wasn't too keen about the situation and fall out with Gallas, but now that you've brought in a replacement I expect he'll be a City player before long. Pity, I wanted us to buy Gallas, but that's football.

Ld would have agreed with you before he started to settle into the team with Gael going out injured, but are you telling me someone who wants to play for arsenal and having now shown real promise is going to say okay I'll go out on loan; that my friend is bloody ridiculous. The aim of all players is to play for the first team go out on loan and nine times out of ten bye bye. Out of interest how many players have willingly gone out on loan and how many players have come back in the first team? Ask Nick etc all he could moan about was to be in the first team. The suggestion of Gibbs going out on loan, or even asking to go out on loan now is bizarre to say the least. What benefit would he get, or us get; none.

Clichy hardly needs a breather next season, esp with him missing the last few months of the campaig. He will be relaxed and raring to go. I doubt Gibbs will get any chance, except for the Carling Cup, and if Wenger has Silvestre (if he decides to retain him) and Vermaelen to back up Clichy, it opens the door for Gibbs to go out on loan. I would like to see that for the 1st half of next season and I'd like Gibbs back for the closing stages, coz numbers are always useful given the injuries we have.

Traore has been poo at Pompey, he is a left midfielder.

Its quite disheartening to see some posters calling for toure to be sold. toure has been a very good & loyal servant of the club. Granted his form dropped at some point last season but he later picked up. How many yrs of top flight football does gallas have left in him. Arsenal cannot afford to lose more players at more especially at the back

Gallas has two years of top world class football, we can get four years of decent defending from Toure imo.

Selling Toure for Vermaelen? Yea you sell a proven premier league CB and your BEST CB. That'd be real helpful. But then again, Song and Djourou will provide excellent cover! Especially during those tough CL away matches.

Also I would much prefer to keep Gibbs as Clichy's deputy than Traore, he seems a lot better defensively.

mahamadou diarra or Thomas Hitelspurger for you DM position?

Arsene Knows... :)

We are top of the league!!!!

http://www.setanta.com//uk/Articles/Football/2009/06/21/Prem-Diabys-personal-trainer/gnid-57766/ Do you think Arsene had a chat with him?

I don't think Arsene needed to have a chat with him. Diaby probably already knew the importance of next season for himself. It's good to hear that he is looking to make those couple of needed steps forward.

Welcome to Vermaelen, glad to see him at the club. ForverU, I certainly don't want to see Kolo or Gallas go but the simple fact is it may not be AW's choice. I don't think he wants to see either one of them go but they may be forcing his hand due to their own stated desires. The transfer speculation that has me jumping up and down is Felipe Melo. I've been watching Dunga use him more and more in our national team to the extent that he is now a regular starter, and I watched him at Fiorentina all last season. One of my biggest complaints about this Arsenal team is that they're too damned nice -- well, if we get Melo, be prepared for the hate Arsenal meme to be ratcheted up by the media and rival fans. The guy is very mean and he's made attackers in Serie A reluctant to face him. The one hope I see re his discipline is that Dunga has seriously reined him in -- in fact, Dunga's worked hard on the discipline of his entire team. Felipe doesn't get booked in the national team as much as he does at his club. So it's possible to make him curb his worst instincts. With that in mind, I'd love to see him at Arsenal. He's a fantastic DM, Fiorentina's best player all season long (they finished 4th in Serie A largely due to him).

Mutu shouldn`t even be playing. Damn junkie.

I only care about the ones who us millons. ;p

http://www.football365.com/john_nicholson/0,17033,8746_5395347,00.html I read this with "Flamini v Denilson" in my head.

To GunnerBlood, Tom14 & Elbondo - 'just to clarify' - the eye pigmentation comment was (I thought, clearly) a joke. It was a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the newspapers trying to find some way to diminish the worthyness of our new signing by claiming 5'11" is too short (despite a plethora of evidence readily to hand exemplifying sub 6' great defenders). And he's 6'1" anyway. Sadly - the inference was lost on you, I should have perhaps made it more obvious.

fair point ;-P