Vermaelen : Why I almost quit Arsenal

Thomas Vermaelen may not be an Arsenal player today as he admits he cam close to quitting the club in the summer after seeing the likes of Fabregas, Nasi and Clichy leave. I would hate to imagine what could have been if our star defender left! It is no coincidence that our resurgence in form is down to Vermaelen being fit again. One just has to look at the game on Saturday against Fulham to see how key he is for us: he may have let in an own goal but he went to the other end to redeem himself and got us the equaliser.

The Sunday People run with the story about Vermaelen’s admission. Vermaelen said, “I thought about it really long and hard because I knew there were some doubts about the club. But the most important thing for me is that I feel happy here.

“Another thing is that Ive only played one year my first. Last year I was injured, so I thought I had to give something back to the club and the fans. I felt, for me, it wasnt done here.

“I still believe in the club and the structure of it is really good, so these are the main reasons I stayed.

“People think if things are difficult it is always better at another club.

“But if things are not going as you want in the beginning it doesnt mean you have to quit.

“Thats the job, you have to fight for it and get better and better.

“Its easy to quit and go somewhere else, but that doesnt mean somewhere else is better.

“This is a really nice club, I feel at home here. The board, the boss, the fans … they have a lot of belief in me, so why should I leave?”