I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of verbal agreement at some point last season between Wenger and Tommy to let him go. If there was there's no chance of Wenger going back on his word. Arsene has always been respectful to his players and I think he'll let Vermaelen go, even if he wants to keep him.
Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...
If we have less defensive options then that is even more reason not to sell Vermaelen and replacing him won't be easy.....that is, if we want somebody of his level or better. Even if you think we should sell him it's not a case of there being every reason to sell him and no reason to keep him.
I imagine it's demotivating being on the bench but I imagine it is also demotivating knowing deep down your current level isn't good enough to be first choice for any top team or signing for a mediocre team to ensure you get first team football. Or it could simply be a source of motivation to get back to a better level?
It's not a given he will be and remain a 1st choice for Barca. He won't be happy but you can reasonably expect Vermaelen to be professional about it. I don't imagine he was that pleased with the club selling his best mate RvP to Manure but he kept his counsel pretty well then too.
He isn't an option as far as I am concerned, on the recent rare occasions he has come on, the mistakes in his game come with him. Can we really say he is a reliable third option?
I very much doubt he would start for Barcelona too but there is a certain ego attached with players when it comes to signing for a new team, I'd guess he'd be thinking he'll be given a fair chance to start, even if it doesn't actually turn out to be the case.
Plus at some point we will have to sell players, as much fun as it has been seeing us buy four players very early on, we're no different to any other club - we can't keep buying without somebody going. I think based on the limited contribution Vermaelen has given and when he has of what quality it has been, I think he should go.
The more I read, the more I think Wenger should go back to TV with some sort of plan they can both buy into that has him seeing out his contract here. With the amount of matches we face assuming CL qualification, it can't be that hard
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We could adopt a '2 games on, 1 game off' rotation for the 3 CBs throughout the season?
Game 1: Koscielny - Mertesacker
Game 2: Koscielny - Vermaelen
Game 3: Vermaelen - Mertesacker
If everyone stays fit, then they'd probably get 30-40 games each following that system, and should stay nice and rested?
Guess if you are happy with Win 1 lose 2...
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Wenger did rotate in areas where he felt he had depth last year. But Vermaelen only got a few starts when Mertesacker had the sniffles or Koscielny was out. Wenger just doesn't fancy him any more. I reckon he'd sooner play Chambers than Vermaelen.
Obviously the above would also apply to anyone we might replace Vermaelen with - it's just a simple way of keeping 3 players happy when there's only 2 places up for grabs...
If TV5 had learned by now that to play CB you have to be a bit more disciplined, then I'm sure he would have gotten more game time.
As it is, the lad kept on rushing up field whenever it took his fancy, rather than taking a calculated gamble a la Koscielny.
Furthermore, he always leaves the left flank exposed.
I just think for a CB with so much promise, he's failed to build or progress on the early promise.
Shame, but Wenger clearly doesn't fancy him else he would have gotten more game time.
It's better to burn out, than to fade away.
Verm has annoying habits but are they that bad that he’s uncoachable? Can’t someone just tell him to stop charging forwards and to communicate and look around before diving into a challenge? I seriously doubt we’ll spend good money on a 3rd choice CB (Hummels), which leaves us with the cheap option and that worries me. We could potentially bring in a player that can’t be trusted to play at all. We’ve seen it happen before. If we can’t coach the faults out of Verm you’ve got to worry about the next guy we bring in. If it’s someone with no Prem experience, we could be in for a rough ride.
But if we’re looking to spend big on a 3rd choice CB, which I highly doubt, we’d still have to get past this rotation issue. I just can’t see Wenger rotating first choice players so frequently. It’s always been a problem. It’s just not wise to keep playing a player until he breaksdown. If he doesn’t Verm to do the job then why offer him a new contract at the last minute? It just seems more sensible to keep him and he can go on a free next year.
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