Vermaelen news makes a signing essential
112 comments January 17th, 2011
Rarely have news reports from Belgium garnered so much interest. Yesterday, in an interview with website Sporza.be, Thomas Vermaelen confirmed that he is due to have surgery on his achilles and is unlikely to return before March.
Now, until we hear it from the club it’s far from 100%. Surgery is certainly one of the options on the table, though I’m not sure if a definitive decision will have been made yet. If Vermaelen does go under the knife, however, we’d be looking at March at the very earliest. It’s possible it could rule him out of competitive action for the rest of the season.
That leaves us with the injury prone Djourou, the inconsistent Koscielny, and a wavering Squillaci. People tout Alex Song as a centre-back option, without facing up to the fact that would mean having to start with Denilson in midfield. It’s a price I consider too heavy to pay.
The latest from Arsene suggests he’s looking at a short-term solution. Which is odd, considering this has been a long-term problem. Koscielny and Djourou are both decent defenders, but neither can really be considered senior or reliable. At the highest level, they remain inexperienced and untested. And if Sebastien Squillaci isn’t good enough now, then I’m afraid he never will be.
I understand January is a difficult time to buy, but with Vermaelen set to be ruled out for a longer period, signing someone has become a necessity – whether as a short or long-term solution. Matthew Upson would bulk the squad out, but I’m not sure he’d improve it. Ideally I’d like a defender who could come in and make a real case to start alongside the Belgian when he returns from injury. If not, then we still need a dependable body: this next month or so will certainly take its toll on Koscielny and Djourou and we need the opportunity to rotate. As soon as possible, really.
Over to you, Arsene.
