I'm a bit shocked about the reactions about a possible transfer of Vermaelen. I can tell that the majority of posters here have never seen him play. But still they can tell everyone his physical abilities are below average. I can honestly say that that is just pure nonsense.
Vermaelen is a great young defender. About his height, it doesn't say a thing. Puyol is shorter than him, but he is a great defender too. 5'11 is a normal height for a defender. Maybe he looks a bit thin, but he is really strong. He almost always wins physical duels, and he is really hard to pass. He is also the strongest header in our squad. By far. If someone heads away a corner from the opponent, it is usually him. And when he scores, it is usually with his head. His positioning is also excellent. He knows where the opponent is going to go, and counts on that. When the opponent tries to break through, Vermaelen pounces fiercely. His tackles are ruthless, he never walks away from a chance to get the ball. He always plays with heart.
His weaker points are his attacking abilities. At Ajax we always need good wing defenders, who can help the forwards and deliver a good cross. Our also very talented rightback Van der Wiel is such a player.
Vermaelen could work on his dribbling and crossing. But that's not surprising, as he only played as a wing back for half a season. His natural position is centre back.
I can honestly say that if Arsenal signs Vermaelen, it will be a great deal. 12 million euro's is really not much for such a great player. But I hope our new manager Martin Jol will keep him at Ajax. If we want to have any chance in Europe and for the Dutch Title, we will need to keep him. Great player.
