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Arsenal may have lost out on their first Premier League title in 19 years last season, and in quite a painful manner too, but with how Mikel Arteta’s men have kicked on this year, you wouldn’t have been able to guess.
The Gunners are through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, one point off of top spot in the league, and they have done all of this without displaying the same silky, free-flowing football they produced in 2022/23.
Instead, the north Londoners have built their side around a tough-as-nails defence and a new-look midfield marshalled by their £105m bargain, Declan Rice.
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The 23-year-old could help fire Arsenal to the title.
With how well the former West Ham United captain has taken to life in N5, fans should be delighted with the latest player linked with the club, a Belgian midfielder hailed as a rice ‘regen’, Arthur Vermeeren.
Arsenal transfer news – Arthur Vermeeren
According to 90min, several top European clubs are interested in Royal Antwerp’s exciting defensive midfielder Vermeeren, including both north London sides, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The report has revealed that both clubs have already sent scouts to observe the highly-rated youngster, along with German club Borussia Dortmund, and if that wasn’t enough competition, 90min also confirmed that Barcelona were incredibly keen on the Belgian in October.
To make things even harder, the Gunners will probably have to pay a pretty penny to land the 18-year-old, as in an interview with Belgian media (via FootballTransfers), Antwerp CEO Sven Jacques said: “If we sell it, it will definitely be at the right price. We’ll see whether he becomes the most expensive outgoing transfer in Belgium ever.”
The current record sale is the €36.5m – £31m – AC Milan paid to sign Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge in 2022.
Still, for a player dubbed “one of the most complete young midfielders in Europe” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who has three years left on his current contract, that might prove to be value for money.
Arthur Vermeeren could be Arsenal’s next Declan Rice
Now, that is a huge statement that isn’t lost on anybody, but with how highly thought of Vermeeren is, how impressive he has been in the last couple of years and the position in which he plays, it isn’t the most outlandish of comparisons.
In fact, it is one that has been made by others as well. For example, GOAL’s Thomas Hindle specifically makes mention of the Arsenal man as the player most like the intelligent Belgian, pointing out their similar career trajectories, their ability to play in a box-to-box role, sniffing out danger and helping their side progress the ball up the pitch.
The pair also share an impressive level of match intelligence, with David Penneman, Belgium U17 coach, saying (via Football Talent Scout): “It was his inconspicuousness that caught my attention. Arthur solved problems before they could be imagined, by constantly scanning the environment and playing football efficiently. He thought two steps faster than the rest.”
Finally, when comparing the pair’s underlying numbers, the “excellent talent”, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, does remarkably well. He doesn’t come out on top, but considering the six-year age gap between the two, he is producing numbers closer to that of Rice than many might expect.
The Lier-born prospect seriously impresses with his offensive statistics, ability to win tackles, and ball recovery numbers, and while the weaker league should be taken into consideration, the fact that he is performing like this at age 18 suggests that the hype around him is very much justified.
Arthur Vermeeren vs Declan Rice |
||
---|---|---|
Stats (per 90) |
Vermeeren |
Rice |
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists |
0.20 |
0.21 |
Progressive Passes |
7.44 |
7.53 |
Progressive Carries |
1.07 |
1.56 |
Shots on Target |
0.30 |
0.39 |
Passing Accuracy |
85.7% |
90.8% |
Shot-Creating Action |
2.26 |
1.76 |
Goal-Creating Actions |
0.24 |
0.00 |
Tackles Won |
1.31 |
1.23 |
Interceptions |
1.37 |
1.56 |
Ball Recoveries |
7.62 |
5.26 |
Ultimately, if Arsenal can sign “one of Belgium’s biggest jewels”, as dubbed by Jacek Kulig, they should.
He doesn’t have to come in and be a first-teamer right away; just having him learn from Rice in training could do wonders for him, and the Gunners could have a ready-made replacement if the Englishman moves on at any stage – or even the perfect partner.
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