BOULD HAS AN IMPACT

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has praised the impact of the new assistant manager Steve Bould, who has become the replacement for Pat Rice. The long serving assistant manager decided to step down from his post at the end of last season, which has left a major void in the club.

The club are already suffering from the departure of David Dean many seasons ago. However, the Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that he is extremely pleased with the impact of the new assistant manager Steve Bould, who has replaced Pat Rice efficiently in the first few weeks of the training.

Thomas Vermaelen has been linked with a move to Barcelona, but the 24-year-old defender quashed any rumours by saying that he would like to commit his future to Arsenal. He has said that this season has been extremely different because Arsenal have been making crucial signings in many areas of the pitch. Even though the departure of Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott has been spoken about, Thomas Vermaelen reckons that the arrival of players like Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski goes a long way into satisfying the needs of the first team even if Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott leave the club. Hopefully they can get off on the right foot in the Sunderland and Swansea City fixtures.

“Steve is really good to work with, especially for defenders as he has been a defender himself. He knows what it is all about and gives us a lot of tips. He works a lot on the shape of the team and that is very important, so I am very happy he came to work with the first team. He is very focused on details. A lot of players, because we are getting older, we know how to play. But he looks at details and the shape of your body and to be honest I am learning a lot from him,” said Vermaelen.

 

HAPPY THAT KOSCIELNY WILL STAY

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that he is extremely happy to see the defender Laurent Koscielny commit to a new deal at the club. A number of high profile players have been leaving Arsenal in the last few seasons due to their inability to win trophies. It has been seven seasons since Arsenal last lifted the trophy. Due to the dominance of the Manchester clubs, they’re not expected to be in the hunt for a major trophy this time around as well. As a result, they are expected to lose the attacking duo of Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie.

However, Arsenal fans have been delighted by the news that defender Laurent Koscielny has agreed to a new deal with the club. Even though he was extremely poor in the first few matches of his Arsenal career, Koscielny has developed into one of the best defenders in the league. He was largely responsible for keeping the defence of Arsenal stable in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen last season. The Belgian defender has said that he is extremely happy to see Koscielny agree to a new contract. The 26-year-old Belgian has been linked with a move to Barcelona, but he has quashed any such rumours by saying that he wants to stay at Arsenal.

“I heard the news that Laurent extended his contract and I’m really happy. From the start when he came to Arsenal he has shown he is a great player and he is developing really well. I think he has done everything for the club already and I hope he will stay a few more years. Of course he is not here at the moment because he is not fit – he had a holiday because he played in the Euros. But he is a great player and I’m happy that he signed for the club,” said Vermaelen.

BE CAREFUL WITH FREEBIES

Freebets offered by online bookmakers are a very valuable resource and a great way to increase your winnings, and although they say that you should never look a gift horse in the mouth, here we will look at the kind of small print that is often included in the bookmakers’ freebet terms and conditions.

Note that these vary from bookmaker to bookmaker, so our comments are general rather than applying to any specific bookmakers.

You will always find that when it comes to freebets, some bookmakers are much more generous than others, so it pays to shop around or use a comparison site such as freebets.com.

In order to qualify for a freebet you will need to open an account with the bookmaker and deposit some money into it. You will then need to make a bet of up to a stated maximum amount and you will receive a free bet of that amount.

That is the headline, but there will always be a note that ‘terms and conditions apply’; although small print is always boring to read, with freebets it pays to read them carefully or you might find that you will lose out.

Often they include a time limit: for instance, you might need to make your first cash bet within 10 or perhaps 30 days of opening your account otherwise you will forfeit your freebet. Also there is very often a clause that states that the bet must be made on a selection with minimum odds, often 2/1 or evens.

If the bet is a multiple bet such as an accumulator, then the minimum odds will apply to at least one of your selections. Sometimes with a multiple bet if the first selection is at odds of greater than a specified number, say 4/1, then all the other selections are permitted to be below 2/1. Also if for any reason your original bet is voided, it does not qualify for a freebet.

When you make your freebet, if it is successful you will receive your winnings on that bet but you will not receive your stake. Also you should note how long you are allowed to use your freebet as they are generally time limited.

HAZARD HASN’T ASKED

Arsenal defender had has said that Lille playmaker Eden Hazard has not asked him for advice regarding the possible destination for the 21-year-old. Eden Hazard is one of the most sought-after players in Europe after having performed so exceptionally for French club Lille over the years.

He has been linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester city. A few of clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham have also been credited with a lot of interest for the Belgian playmaker. Arsenal were once the favourites to secure his signature due to the presence of fellow Belgian Thomas Vermaelen.

However, they have been unable to make the asking price of £ 32 million set by Lille. Only three clubs has been able to afford the huge transfer fee for the 21-year-old. Eden Hazard recently revealed that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the three clubs who will be able to sign him. He has been seeking the advice of many players with whom he has a close relationship. However, Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that he had not been approached for advice by the 21-year-old. Vermaelen has been a huge hit in the Premier league after his £ 11 million move from Ajax a few seasons ago.

“He didn’t come to me for any advice. I think he has a lot of people around him, so they can give him good advice about which club he should go to,” said Thomas Vermaelen. “It is a good competition for him. I think he can succeed in every team because he is a fantastic player and I think they will like him very much in England,” Fulham midfielder Dembele said. “I think Eden has the qualities and talent to play in England. On his day, he can make the difference for his team,” said Sunderland goalkeeper Mignolet.

VERMALEN PROUD OF STYLE

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that he is extremely happy that Arsenal did not deviate from their passing style of football when they played Stoke city last weekend.

Thomas Vermaelen is regarded as one of the best players at Arsenal. He was instrumental in helping Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the hands of Stoke last weekend. It has almost saved the season for Arsenal, as they now have surely wrapped up the Champions League spots. Only two matches remain in the Premier league season, with Arsenal set to face Norwich and West Brom. These are matches where Arsenal are expected to get all three points without too much of a trouble.

Despite facing a physical team in the form of Stoke, Arsenal never pumped the ball long up to Robin van Persie. The striker has scored a remarkable 35 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season, but it is even more impressive considering the fact that Arsenal have been playing the ball along the ground throughout the season. It is very much similar to the way Barcelona play their football and Thomas Vermaelen has praised Arsenal for this reason. He says that it is very important for a club to have a philosophy and stick by it.

“The whole team showed a good spirit and we fought hard – we deserved a point. Defensively the shape was good, with [Alex] Song in front of us and he helped us a lot. If you [play] their game you would be second best. The main thing is to keep focused on your own game, with quick passing, and that is how we scored our goal. We didn’t give away too many chances in the whole game and that is a good thing,” said Thomas Vermaelen after the 1-1 draw with Stoke city.

VERMAELEN PRAISES KOSCIELNY

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that one of the main reasons for the uplift of fortunes for Arsenal in the second half of the season has been the form of defender Laurent Koscielny.

Laurent Koscielny arrived at Arsenal a few seasons ago, but this game was full of errors in the initial few matches for Arsenal. This led many to believe that the Frenchman was a big disaster for Arsenal, but having been in the Premier league for quite a while now, the defender is beginning to show his true value to the club.

His excellent interceptions and reading of the game has meant that Arsenal have been able to make ground on their rivals like Chelsea and Tottenham, despite their good start to the season.

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VERMAELEN WANTS TO STAY

Arsenal’s Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that he is looking to repay the faith Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has had him in to sign him for the Premier league club. Thomas Vermaelen has been one of the best defenders for Arsenal ever since arriving at the club a few seasons ago.

Despite the lack of height, the Belgian defender has been able to compensate by some excellent defending. Now, he has said that he wants to stay with Arsenal for the rest of his career, and is also in debt to Arsene Wenger for allowing him the chance to play in one of the best leagues in the world.

Thomas Vermaelen was a £ 7.5 million signing from Dutch club Ajax. He was initially expected to be the backup for William Gallas, who was ageing. However, he not only managed to play alongside William Gallas, but is also proving to be more than suitable replacement for the Frenchman.

He recently extended his contract up until 2015, and is one of the important players at the club. He has also said that he feels that Arsenal should be considered as one of the top clubs in Europe, despite the fact that they have not won the Champions League.

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FAVOURITES FOR THIRD SPOT

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that his club are the favourites now to finish in the top three this season. Vermaelen was speaking on the occasion when Arsenal had just overtaken Tottenham in the Premier league table following the midweek round of fixtures. Tottenham could only draw against Stoke city, while Arsenal managed a 1-0 win over Everton away from home. Further, Tottenham will be having a tough round of fixtures in the remaining matches like Arsenal, who have an easier run-in. These are the reasons for Vermaelen to believe that Arsenal are now the favourite for the top three.

Vermaelen has said that one of the major changes in the race for the top three positions came when Arsenal faced Tottenham in the North London Derby a few weeks ago. Tottenham could have gone 13 points clear of Arsenal if they had won the match, but they lost the match 5-2 after a quite impressive second half comeback from Arsenal. Since then, Tottenham have been on the decline, while it has been the opposite with Arsenal. Arsenal have since managed to close a 10 point advantage and secure a one-point advantage over Tottenham. Vermaelen was a key figure in Arsenal doing so because his injury time header gave the club all three points against Newcastle recently.

“We are always confident [of staying third], especially if we keep winning games as we are. Yes [Arsenal are favourites to finish third], we just have to keep the focus on our own performance. At the moment we have had some good results against some difficult teams. We have shown good mentality,” Vermaelen said after the 2-1 win over Newcastle. Finishing above Tottenham extremely important for Arsenal given that they have not allowed their neighbours to finish above them since 1995.

COMMITMENT MAKES VERMAELEN CULT HERO

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that one of the reasons for Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen to be a cult hero at Arsenal is his commitment to the club. Arsenal were very tough situation in the summer after the departure of some of Nasri and Cesc Fabregas.

Just when it seemed that they were about to lose all their top stars to other clubs, Thomas Vermaelen penned a new four year contract with the club. The Belgian defender was coming on the back of a injury hit season, but was still able to commit to the club who had shown great interest to bring him from Belgium.

Even though the season has not exactly gone in the way they would have wanted, Arsenal fans can look forward to seeing their club qualify for the next season’s Champions League. Qualifying for this elite European competition is very important for a club like Arsenal because it would not only help them retain their current stars, but also provide them with very important cash to attract even more. Just at the turn of this year, Arsenal looked to be out of the race to finish in the top four, but we have just moved into the third position following a spectacular run of form.

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NOT ENJOYING BEING LEFT BACK

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has admitted that he is not enjoying playing in the left back position for Arsenal. The Belgian defender has had to fill in for Kieran Gibbs at the left back position for Arsenal this season due to the incredible number of injuries the club has suffered in this department.

Kieran Gibbs is expected to return back from injury soon, which will finally push Thomas Vermaelen back into his favourite position – central defence. Arsenal have had a stranger injury situation in which a number of fullbacks have either been injured or been sold in the transfer window.

As a result, central defender Djourou has been filling in that right back for the injured Bacary Sagna, while Thomas Vermaelen has had to move to the left back position. It is a position Thomas Vermaelen has revealed that he is not comfortable with, but is prepared to carry on if the situation and injury situation of Arsenal demands. The Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen is regarded as one of the best players at the club. However, he has not particularly excelled in the left back position, where he has played numerous times this season.

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