Vermaelen extends Arsenal stay with new deal
Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has committed his long-term future to the club after signing a new contract with Arsene Wenger hoping star striker Robin Van Persie will follow suit.
A £10 million signing from Ajax in June 2009, the Belgium skipper had an outstanding debut season at the Emirates Stadium winning many plaudits and ensuring his position as one of the top defenders in Europe.
The 25-year-old has suffered a torrid time with injuries since then missing the whole of last season with an achilles problem and he has been absent for a large chunk of the current campaign after picking up an ankle injury against Udinese August.
However he is now closing in on full fitness and the Gunners saw fit to tie him down to a new deal which delighted Vermaelen couldn’t wait to sign.
He said: “I always had the intention to stay here,”
“I feel there is a big belief in me from the club, from the boss and from the fans and that is one of the reasons why I stayed.
“Arsenal is a fantastic club. We have great supporters, we’re doing well financially and we are playing with some quality young players now and they will develop, which is very good for the future.”
Wenger was equally delighted to see the Belgian, who he labels ‘a special player’, put pen-to-paper and is looking forward to seeing him back in an Arsenal shirt sooner rather than later.
“We are absolutely delighted. Our plan is always to sign top quality players and with Thomas extending his contract, we have done just that.” the Frenchman said.
“Thomas is a special player, who has always made a huge contribution on the pitch and we are looking forward to him being a part of our future.”
With Vermaelen now committed to staying in North London the Wenger is hoping it will persuade captain Van Persie to sign a new long-term deal with his current contract ending in 2013.
The Arsenal boss would loathe to lose the Dutchman, who has been in fine scoring form this campaign, especially after losing Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer.
