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Who could replace Thomas Vermaelen?
According to multiple reports it seems that Thomas Vermaelen is on his way out of Arsenal after not being given enough first team football at the Emirates last season. Disappointingly he seems to be on his way to Manchester United despite the lack of European football on offer at Old Trafford next season. So if he is on his way who could Wenger bring in to replace the Belgian as cover at centre-back?
Dejan Lovren
The Southampton defensive man has had a great season and was extremely unfortunate to concede a penalty in his countries opening World Cup game against hosts Brazil. He is strong on the ball for a defender so would stay in keeping with Wenger’s insistence on everyone in the team being able to play with the ball at their feet. He also has a lot of passion in defence and would add fight to the centre of the park if needed due to his ability to play slightly further up the park if needed. He would cost around £12m, but the hardest bit would be beating Liverpool to the signing as they seem to be leading the race at the moment.
Benedikt Howedes
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Bayern Strikes
The German defender was included in the World Cup squad as a utility player due to his ability to play across the back four. This is a quality that would interest Wenger as he looks to build extra cover for all the positions after the loss of Sagna to Manchester City. Howedes showed his ability to deal with a strong attack against Portugal and that would be exactly what Wenger wants to see from a prospective defender. Howedes captained Shalke and Wenger values leadership quality in his back line so I would consider Howedes a strong contender for Vermaelen replacement.
Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams is a classic centre-back who is extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, so seems to tick the most important boxes straight away. There is also the fact that Swansea seem to have a few players making noises about moving, and Williams is one of them. Williams would probably cost around the £10m mark if Swansea could be convinced to let him go, and would probably be willing to play as a rotation/cover option for a side such as Arsenal with Champions League football on offer. Possibly my favourite to replace the Belgian centre-back.