Name : Thomas Vermaelen
Born :
November 14, 1985
Birth place :
Kapellen, Belgium
Height :
5' 10'' (1.78m)
Weight :
75 kg
Position :
Defender
Squad Number :
5
Previous Club(s) :
AFC Ajax Amsterdam
RKC Waalwijk (Loan)
KFC Germinal Beerschot
Joined Arsenal :
June 19, 2009
2009/10
From relative unknown to one of the first names on the team sheet, Thomas Vermaelen had a stellar debut season with Arsenal.
His arrival from Ajax hardly set the pulse racing - as ever, most fans were holding out for a 'big name' signing. But the Belgian set about proving that he was every bit as good as any other centre back in the Premier League.
Thomas was expected to shore up the Arsenal defence and this he duly did, especially early in the season when his partnership with William Gallas was flourishing. Attacking the ball with vigour and crunching into challenges, he soon won over the fans.
But no one expected Thomas to be such a threat at the other end too. He briefly topped Arsenal's scoring charts after four goals in his opening eight games and we aren't talking about your usual scrappy centre-back efforts - the Belgian was smashing them in from all angles and distances. Just ask Wigan and Blackburn.
Thomas ended the campaign with eight goals and no one else in the Arsenal squad broke 40 starts for the first team. Arsène Wenger tends to rest key players when he can but Thomas kept on plugging away and did not miss a Premier League game until he was suspended at Birmingham in March.
A calf injury finally halted him in his tracks in April and it's no coincidence that Arsenal fell away without their defensive kingpin.
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