Over the past few years, Thomas Vermaelen has delighted and thrilled the Arsenal faithful with numerous outstanding performances. However, with the unbreakable pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny providing the club with a near perfect centre-back duo, Vermaelen has seen his playing time dwindle in recent times.
It is therefore no surprise that the Belgian is looking for a move this summer, with Manchester United looking like his most likely destination.
Although I’m sure every Arsenal fan wishes Thomas the best of luck with his future career, we will be left with one little problem following his departure – finding a replacement. Arsene Wenger has already confirmed that should Vermaelen leave, a replacement centre-back would be brought in, but whom?
Here is my list of five centre-backs the club could sign:
1 – Matija Nastasic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxnfKoOWmWE
21-year-old Nastasic struggled for playing time last season at Manchester City – partly due to injury – and only started eleven times for The Citizens. His poor appearance record is no reflection on his ability though, and the Serbian defender played very well in all competitions last season.
Matija’s biggest strengths are his passing, aerial ability, and discipline. The Sky Blues’ youngster is capable of maintaining possession and starting off attacks from his team’s back-line while under pressure, and he achieved a passing accuracy of 90.8% in the 2013/14 season. The 21-year-old is equally capable in the air, and is able to easily clear lofted balls thanks to his height of 6’1” and his incredible focus during games. When games get a little more stretched, Nastasic has plenty of pace to chase down attackers, and his aggression and tackling technique are both excellent.
Although Manchester City may want to avoid selling the player to a rival – or selling him altogether – a bid of over £15 million might be enough to change their mind, and Arsenal are rumoured to be interested in doing just that. Read about the other 4 centre backs Arsenal could sign to replace Vermaelen with by using the navigation below.