Will there be any end to Barca’s interest in signing Arsenal’s best players?

There seems to be no end to Barcelona’s vile Arsenal plundering ways. It’s like the Spanish powerhouse has made it their own personal mission to dismantle the squad one player at a time. Of course – fans may take it as a form of compliment, Barcelona clearly respect the way Arsenal play football and like the players that  ply their trade at the Emirates. Still, that’s little comfort considering the pull Barca have in the transfer market.

They’ve had their way with Thierry Henry (who admittedly peaked at Arsenal and saw out his declining years with Barca), Cesc Fabregas (who was always going to make a return to his boyhood club) and they’ve been heavily linked with the club’s current talisman Robin Van Persie. And now, according to the Daily Mail, their after the Gunner’s star defender, Thomas Vermaelen.

Apparently Barca have been actively pursuing AC Milan’s Thiago Silva, but have been unable to persuade the Serie A Club to sell. This has caused Barca’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta to consider his options, of which Chelsea’s David Luiz and Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen are thought to be second and third choice.

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The Mail claim that Vermaelen fits the bill because he’s able to play at left back and in the midfield, but this rather oversells his versatility. Whilst he has played as a left-back for Arsenal, this was only because injuries necessitated him stepping in and doing a job for the team. As far as I know he’s never played in the centre of midfield whilst at Arsenal.

What he is, however, is a really top class centre-back. Whilst he was a little error-prone last season (slip-ups against AC Milan readily spring to mind) he’s still a real force for strikers to contend with. He’s tough, strong and can put in a tackle. Best of all – he’s handy going forward. His strength in the air saw him grab 6 goals last season.

Suffice to say, the Gunners won’t want to sell. The player himself has admitted that he would ‘stay at Arsenal forever’ if given the chance, so it’s unlikely that Barcelona would be able to tempt him away unless they offered crazy wages. Whether or not Barca’s interest in Vermaelen is genuine, I don’t think Arsenal fans have too much to worry about. He’s happy and settled in London and clearly doesn’t have ‘Barcelona DNA’.

So for once, the Barcelona threat can sale on through unrecognised.

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