Arsenal: Thomas Vermaelen Deal Makes Total Sense

Thomas Vermaelen reportedly wants a return to Arsenal after a frustrating two years with Barcelona, and his former club should welcome him with open arms.

Center half is a major problem for Arsenal. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, the long time partners marshaling an often vulnerable defense are both now the wrong side of 30, and while Koscielny still looks the part, Mertesacker is beginning to struggle mightily, with his lack of pace becoming a major issue.

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The only other viable short term option that is currently available to Arsene Wenger is Gabriel Paulista, a man who is still yet to convince everyone that he is cut for the demands of the Premier League. It is slim pickings and without investment, Arsenal do look desperately short at the position.

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The future of Arsenal’s defense could well rest on the shoulders of Calum Chambers, a player who has all the natural talent to develop into a top class center half. However, he is raw and unpolished, naive and inexperienced, and perhaps sitting on the bench for another season would do the young Englishman good.

That means that Arsenal need a center half who can, without any hesitation, come in and start seamlessly. There aren’t many options that can do that. However, after reports surfaced that Thomas Vermaelen is reportedly interested in a return to the Emirates, perhaps he could be exactly the right player to pursue this Summer.

Vermaelen could slide into the starting line up in theory without many issues. He has played with Koscielny before, understands how the club works, has a great rapport with the fans and if guaranteed playing time, something that eventually saw him leave in the first place, would certainly be tempted to return, especially after the recent addition of Samuel Umtiti, dropping Vermaelen further down the pecking order.

Moreover, at 30, while Vermaelen will never be a long term option, he will have great experience in nurturing Calum Chambers and will likely not be in the starting eleven to stent the growth of the youngster when the time comes for him to supplant the Belgian.

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Many may see this move as a step backwards. But if Arsenal are looking for a cheap, instant solution to their center half issues, then there aren’t many better options than their former captain.