New United manager Louis Van Gaal will have his work cut out rebuilding the Reds defence as Arsene Wenger plays hard ball over the transfer of Thomas Vermaelen.
Vermaelen is seen by LVG as the ideal experienced replacement for the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand but it seems the Arsenal boss is reluctant to let his former skipper leave the Emirates without a fight.
The Independent notes:
Manchester United’s attempts to rebuild their central defence have been thwarted by Arsenal’s manager, Arsène Wenger, who has not yet agreed to sanction Thomas Vermaelen’s departure to Old Trafford.
….Wenger knows that vetoing the Belgian’s move north risks Arsenal losing him on a free transfer when he is out of contract next summer, the move has been blocked so far.
Vermaelen would seem like an ideal candidate to bring some vital Premier League experience to the Reds’ defence. Whether Wenger is willing to let his defender leave is another matter, but the fact Arsenal have just splashed out over £30 million on Alexis Sanchez may force the Gunners to part with Vermaelen before his contract runs out.
Arsenal do not need to sell, they have another 40+ ml in their coffers to spend this summer. Gone are the days when Arsenal had to sell each year.
Also, Arsenal have just 3 experienced CBs. Rather than selling Verm, they need to buy another one.
Please Prof. Wenger, avoid selling players to our rivals since they only interested in selling dead woods to us, let Vermalen go to another club ouside England.
fear ov the unkown. guess he knows that manutd will be back competing nxt season
It is proving to be a frustrating summer on the transfer front. So far the two incoming players were David Moyes targets but they are nowhere near what we need to compete realistically for the title. We need at least one more centre back possibly two and the same in the middle of the park. It does not take an expert to understand that. We have lost three defenders over the summer and brought one in. By LVG’s own admission, the two youngsters who played in the US are good but not ready. In any event, it would be risky to place your trust on both of them without at least one more recruit. In the midfield, in fairness to Moyes he was looking at William Cavarlho because it is obvious we need a defensive midfielder. LVG played three at the back with Holland because he lost Strootman; otherwise he would have played a 433 system. He is being forced to play three at the back with United for similar reasons, and in his words, to compensate for the lack of balance in the squad. With Vidal recovering from a knee injury, this could be a very frustrating summer for United fans indeed. From New Dawn to False Dawn in a several weeks.