Former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen couldn’t find his footing at Barcelona despite joining for £15 million, so the club has now sent him on a season-long loan to Italian side AS Roma. One of the issues with the player during his time at Nou Camp was his inconsistency due to injuries. He featured just 21 times in his two seasons at the club, despite signing five year contract with Spanish giant.
In his first season, the player had wait until the last game of the first season before he got his first team debut, as he had suffered from thigh injury. The player was in action for his country at the Euro 2016 for Belgium, but they were knocked out by Wales in the quarter final in a shock exit.
The club confirmed the deal with a statement on their website. It reads: “Barcelona and roma have reached an agreement for the loan of Thomas Vermaelen for the 2016/2017 season. The agreement includes an option for Roma to buy the player at the end of that season.”
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti is very happy about the deal as he feels the player is a great addition. The coach said: “Vermaelen is a player with experience and quality. He can build the play from the back and has great character. These players are used to playing important European matches.”
Vermaelen was part of the treble winning team of Barcelona, winning the UEFA Champions League – defeating Juventus in the final, the La Liga and Copa del Rey. He didn’t play an active part in the campaign and still hasn’t. Barcelona acquired Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne to partner with the current crop of defenders at the club, so they decided to ship the player elsewhere. The move would allow Kostas Manolas to leave AS Roma.