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.”