Arsenal fullback Gael Clichy
has likened Thomas Vermaelen to former Gunners favourite Martin
Keown.
“William (Gallas) and Thomas look good together,” he said. “We
missed a good relationship between the two centre-backs and now we
have it. William has shown people he is still a great player, and
while he is more a leader on the pitch, Thomas is the hard man.
“We needed a player like him. He is good in the air, good in the
tackle and he scores goals.
“I don’t want to compare him to Nemanja Vidic but Thomas does
the job for us that Vidic does for Manchester
United.
“He is the complete player. You need this kind of spirit, like
Martin Keown had. When you see someone getting really angry and
maybe putting in a hard challenge, it can give you a boost. That’s
what he brings to the team and that’s good. He plays fair – but he
is hard.”