West Ham keen on Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen

Sam Allardyce admits he’d be keen to take Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal, but concedes any deal is unlikely for the Gunners captain.

Vermaelen has found himself unable to displace either Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny from the Gunners’ starting XI, and has only made 11 appearances in all competitions this season.

This has led to speculation the Belgian could be making a move away from the Emirates, but Allardyce is convinced Arsenal have no intention of selling.

‘I think under the circumstances at Arsenal, in the position that they’re in, in the Champions League and cup matches, they’ve had to use him as soon as any of the two defenders have been injured,’ he said.

‘So I don’t think there’s any chance we’ll get somebody of his quality. It would be nice if I we could.

‘I’ve had targets and I haven’t got one yet apart from Roger Johnson, so I’ll keep going and hope we get some.’

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Arsenal Star Set For Exit in January

Arsenal have yet to sign any player in the winter transfer window, though manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that the squad may require reinforcement, especially in the strike department.

The Gunners are top of the league at the moment and there is a genuine hope that they can go all the way to seal the Premier League title. The squad seems a happy bunch, while Wenger has spoken about the need to solve the contract problems of few players as well.

However, the case of Thomas Vermaelen is intricate. The Arsenal skipper has dropped down the pecking order at the club behind Per Mertesacker and Koscielny, and in order to boost his World Cup chances, he needs regular games under his belt regularly.

Wenger understands that too, but he simply cannot break the defensive partnership, under any normal circumstances to incorporate him in the starting line-up. Also, Vermaelen is too good a player to warm the bench week-in-week out, although he is injured at the moment.

According to reports in Italy, Napoli are targeting to land the frustrated Belgian in the January transfer window.

Napoli boss Rafael Benitez is keen to find a solution to the fragile defence and have targeted Vermaelen as the right man to do the job for him.

Il Mattino reports that Vermaelen has agreed in principle to join the Naples club, but the two clubs are yet to come to an agreement on the fees. Also, Napoli are quite short of Arsenal’s valuation for the defender.

Napoli have already put in a bid for the defender, which was rejected but sporting director Riccardo Bigon is looking to follow up with a better bid.

The ideal situation for Vermaelen would be to go out on loan for the rest of the season, with Napoli given the option to sign him permanently next summer.

Should Arsenal allow Vermaelen to join Napoli? 

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Vermaelen : I'm not considering leaving Arsenal

Thomas Vermaelen insists he is not thinking of a move away from Arsenal.

The 27-year-old was handed his first Premier League start of the season in the club’s defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Vermaelen’s selection was due to Per Mertesacker’s illness, otherwise the Germany international was set to start alongside his regular centre-back partner Laurent Koscielny.

Despite making only six appearances for Arsenal this season, the Belgium international maintains reports suggesting he is unhappy in north London are not accurate.

“Yes. At the moment there is no story. I’m not talking about it,” Vermaelen told Evening Standard.

“It’s now November but any moment things can happen. If they do, I’m ready and I’m not thinking about anything else.

“I can keep talking about my situation. I’ve done that with the national team and I keep on reading stories that I want to leave. But that’s not the case.

“I’m still focused on the team at the moment and that’s what I want to do. I’m always positive.

“What I have said is that it is not about my situation but what the team do and I’m really happy that we’re top of the league. Personally I’m still confident I can play for this club and every chance I get I will do a job for this club.”

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Vermaelen : I may leave Arsenal this January

Thomas Vermaelen admits he is thinking about leaving Arsenal after falling out of Arsene Wenger's first XI.

The Belgium international defender is club captain at the Emirates Stadium, but has slipped behind Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny in Wenger’s central-defensive pecking order.

And Vermaelen, who is currently away on international duty, has indicated he may seek pastures new in the January transfer window as he looks to secure a place in his country’s squad for next year's World Cup.

"I'll have to think about that when it's necessary. January is still a few months ahead," the 27-year-old said.

"Of course, never playing will not be the ideal situation for me to go to the World Cup, that's for sure."

Former Ajax man Vermaelen, who joined Arsenal in 2009, went on to insist he is not yet worried about his lack of first-team action and pledged to try to force his way back into Wenger's plans.

"People ask me if I panic because I'm not playing a lot but I'm not," he added.

"I have spoken to the manager but it will remain private between us. Things can happen in a split second and change my situation. That can happen tomorrow or next weekend.

"In that case, we will speak differently in January. I have to be ready for that."

Vermaelen was an unused substitute for Belgium in their 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory in Croatia last Friday, a result that secured their place at Brazil 2014.

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