Tony Pulis, the Manager of the West Brom side is looking to shore up his defences so as to help bolster off his options before the transfer season comes to an end.
Reports emanating from different quarters have it that the Baggies boss has his eyes set on two likely targets – Kevin Wimmer of Spurs and Thomas Vermaelen from the Barcelonan ranks. Continue reading
Thomas Vermaelen is currently a performer for Barcelona but the Belgian defender is not playing any significant role for the Spanish outfit and rumors are continuously emerging claiming that a transfer to a Premier League club is a realistic and possible outcome.
Ever since Vermaelen joined Barcelona on August of 2014, he has never truly managed to make an impact in Camp Nou as he is either injured or simply left on the sidelines as a substitute player with very limited time on the actual pitch.
One of the things that has seriously affected the playing career of Vermaelen is the fact that he has an ongoing injury problem which pops up in different times and distinct clubs.
In spite of these persistent injury problems that Vermaelen has suffered from throughout the majority of his playing career, there are still clubs rumored to be interested in signing him including: Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion.
Both of those clubs previously mentioned are competing in the top tier English Premier League and making a return to the EPL is something that might benefit him as Thomas Vermaelen has experience after spending 5 seasons wearing the Arsenal jersey.
It will significantly help Thomas Vermaelen if he decides to make a move away from Barcelona as it’s very likely that he will continue being on the sidelines as an unused substitute player as the main pairing in the heart of Ernesto Valverde’s defence for the new season is expected to be Gerard Pique along with Umtiti.
The Belgian defender was not featured in either of Barcelona’s recent Super Cup matches against Real Madrid. He was not seen at the sidelines or in the starting XI, it’s expected that he will continue this non-influential role for the rest of his time in Camp Nou which could change if Vermaelen decides to leave the Spanish club.
Thomas Vermaelen has been having nightmares about his next career move and this is not about to stop soon.
Since his move to Barcelona from the Emirates Stadium, the Belgium international has not had it easy. His time at the Nou Camp has been blighted by injuries. Even when he went on loan to Roma, it was not a pleasant experience as well.
Barcelona are trying to cut their losses so they invited offers for the player. For an experienced one that has featured for Ajax, Arsenal, Barcelona and Roma, you would wonder why many sides are not coming forth. The struggling centre back is at best linked to clubs that would eventually fail to reach out.
There were reports that Crystal Palace were interested in the player. Coach Frank de Boer was named an interested manager in the Ajax talent but nothing has come forth until now. Italian side Torino were also linked with the player as they wanted to boost their defensive ranks. Even Southampton were linked but nothing concrete has happened. Continue reading
Premier League side West Ham United are desperate for top defenders ahead of the new season.
Bilic has been linked with many defenders as he wants to solidify the squad. He spent much on transfers but injuries and several factors limited the options. This time he seems he is considering those factors. He was linked with former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen, 31. He chased the player last season while he was on loan at Roma but after another underwhelming season, it seems West Ham are looking elsewhere.
Roma refused to buy the Belgian defender on a permanent basis when the loan deal with Barcelona lapsed. His employers would be looking to offload him this summer but the Hammers want more reliable players. Continue reading
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has stated that former Arsenal defender and current Roma defender Thomas Vermaelen lacks playing time.
He said that the player seems to be physically and mentally well and that he is giving his best on the pitch. However, he admitted that the player clearly lacks playing time and this should get better once he gets his place back in the Roma team.
Roberto Martinez said that so far he has been happy with the professionalism displayed by Thomas Vermaelen and he believes that the player will get stronger as he continues to recover.
Thomas Vermaelen has suffered countless injuries since his move to Barcelona and has failed to recover his form that saw him being rated as one of the best defenders in Europe. He has since then moved to Roma where again his career has been plagued with injuries. Continue reading
When it comes to getting injured, Thomas Vermaelen is one of those players that always seem to sustain physical problems in every single season; it has been less than 30 days since the year 2017 has kicked off and the Belgium defender has already sustained more injuries.
Even before 2017 had kicked off, Thomas Vermaelen was already going through problems with his groin but now he recently picked up a calf injury which is expected to be keeping him on the sidelines for an even longer period of time. Continue reading
Roma boss Luciano Spalletti has registered his displeasure at the conduct of new loan signing, Thomas Vermaelen for picking up a red card during the 1-1 draw with FC Porto in the first leg of the 2016/2017 Champions League playoffs.
Despite having an advantage of an away goal, Spalletti felt the Italians could have gone home with all three points had Vermaelen applied more discretion.
“An experienced player like Vermaelen should not be getting two cards like he did especially when you look at the first one he got, but physically we saw that we are in good shape and the mistakes we made were only technical so I am satisfied.”
“Personally I’m very happy with the attitude of my team – we were in control of the game when it was 11 against 11. We’ve got to look on the bright side, which is substantial. We started with a good personality and I’m glad also to have seen the other side of my team, which showed resistance under pressure right to the end.”
“The only criticism I can have of my team is that they should have dealt with certain situations better. We needed a bit more maturity rather than trying quick breaks which just saw us lose our balance in the process,” he added.
Roma welcomes Porto to the Stadio Olimpico next week. The goal is to hold out a goaless draw or simply beat the Portuguese club. Achieving that will see them become the second Italian club to scale through the play offs. Only AC Milan have managed to cross that hurdle while Napoli and Udinese came short.
Serie A side AS Roma are suffering an injury crisis that is gradually worsening as key players keep getting sidelined.
The list has been growing gradually. Defender Emerson Palmieri reportedly picked up a calf injury after the 0-0 draw against Empoli on Sunday.
The Brazil international joined this summer from his native country where he played for Santos. The player, currently on a loan deal, has made four starts for the Giallorossi since joining. He was fine in the first half but had to be substituted after the injury in the 53rd minute. He was set to play in the Europa League clash with Austria Wien. The injury would force him to sit the game out. The club says they expect him to make a return when they play Bologna in the Serie A.
Aside Palmieri, Kostas Manolas has been sidelined for two weeks, as he is set to undergo nasal surgery. The defender broke his nose during training. The club confirmed that he would undergo surgery for the injury on Monday. He adds to the list of injured defenders Roma have to seek short-term replacement.
Former Barcelona player Thomas Vermaelen and Alessandro Florenzi remain sidelined, sending a worrying sign to fans. There are reports that Vermaelen would return to his parent club due to his injury concerns. The player Roma this summer but has been absent since the beginning of September. The former Gunner player has featured just twice in the Serie A thus season.
Spanish news outlet Don Balon claim the club will turn down an opportunity to buy him on a permanent basis. The player is already surplus to requirements at the Catalan side. His contract is valid until 2019, hence it poses a problem for the La Liga champions as they would have to find a club for the Belgian defender.
Roma veteran Franscesco Totti celebrated his 40th year old birthday this week.
Just after the celebration, Totti inspired Roma to a 4-0 victory over Astra in the Europa League. Totti was exceptional in the game, providing three assists.
The Giallorossi have started the campaign on a shaky note. They crashed out of the UEFA Champions League play offs after they played a 1-1 draw with Viktoria Plzen. Roma have also lost the last two of three Serie A games. Totti was in the staring squad despite crossing over the age of 40. Daniele De Rossi and Eemrson Palmieri were not available as they were suspended with Mario Rui. Antonio Rudiger’s injury ensured he missed the match. Former Arsenal and Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen was out injured as well.
Roma have been concerned with Vermaelen’s injury concerns. The 30-year old Belgian has been diagnosed with athletic pubalgia. Since returning from international team duty in September, he has missed five major games for Roma. There is no time frame for his recovery yet as there are various types, coach Luciano Spaletti said. The club doctors blamed their counterparts in the Belgium national team who forced him to play by giving him pain-killing injections. Reports say he is not able to even run, and it seems as if the injuries might force him to retire early.
Totti’s free kick helped Kevin Strootman get the first goal. He also provided assists to Mohammed Salah. Juan Manuel Iturbe but they failed to convert them. Totti was involved in goals from Federico Fazio. After the break, Diego Perotti forced Fabricio to cause an own goal in the 47th minute. Salah rounded up the 4-0 score line when he scored in the 55th minute. The manager said he was happy with the team’s performance after the game.
Former Arsenal and current Barcelona player Thomas Vermaelen spoke highly of his start so far at season-long loan deal to Italy to play for AS Roma.
He spoke at a press conference saying he thinks the atmosphere in the dressing room is good and the players gave him a warm welcome. He admitted that he knew some of the faces and that helped him in settling in.
“Training is going well, I am very impressed with the quality this team has and the game we played. So far it’s going very well. I spoke to [coach Luciano Spalletti] a few times. I think it’s very important to get to know him and how he wants the team to play. He wants to build from the back, play with the ball on the floor, which I’m used to, and as the months progress I’ll get to know him better and better,” Vermaelen added.
The Belgian started his career back in his native playing for Beerschot then he went professional with Ajax. He was loaned out eventually to RKC Waalwijk then he returned and impressed. He moved to England to feature for Arsenal in 2009, getting starting shirt until his departure to join the Spanish giants in 2014. He couldn’t break into the first team, and injury disrupted his plans forcing his loan to AS Roma this summer.
Vermaelen appeared to be settling well into the new team as he hopes to revive his dying career. He appears to be comfortable with the style of play as it is similar to what he played at the Emirates for years and at Camp Nou for Barcelona. The 30-year old has no choice than to prove himself and hope he is retained when the loan expires as Barca got new defenders this summer.
