Football: Vermaelen pens new Arsenal deal

LONDON:

Arsenal’s Belgian international defender Thomas Vermaelen confirmed that he has signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League club.

The 25-year-old Belgium captain, who has been hampered by injury since joining from Ajax in the summer of 2009, is understood to have agreed to stay at the Emirates Stadium until 2015. “I am really happy to have signed a new contract with Arsenal,” said Vermaelen. “I always had the intention to stay here. I feel there is a big belief in me from the club, the boss and the fans, and that is one of the reasons why I stayed,” said Vermaelen. Vermaelen scored eight goals in his first season before an Achilles injury sidelined him from the squad.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2011.