Away from the doom and gloom of recent Arsenal results, Thomas Vermaelen has provided a nice distraction naming his dream 5-a-side team.
Perhaps one for the underrated category, Vermaelen enjoyed some excellent years at Arsenal, thriving alongside the likes of Laurent Koscielny at the back.
The Belgian made 150 appearances for The Gunners before leaving the Emirates for Barcelona in 2014, and always remained a firm fan favourite.
And speaking before the Liverpool game on Sunday on ‘The Breakdown’, Vermaelen was asked to name his dream 5-a-side team from the Arsenal players he played with.
Thomas Vermaelen names his dream Arsenal 5-a-side team
The former Arsene Wenger stalwart admitted it was a tricky choice, but then named a pretty incredible five.
Vermaelen said: “It’s a tricky one as you don’t want to miss out any players but if I just do it quickly I’m going to put Thierry Henry in there as I know he came back for a period, so I’m going to put him in there.
“I’m going to put Robin van Persie in there, had a great season. Cesc Fabregas.
“Who else should I put in there? Tomas Rosicky I would like to put in there and if I have to put in a defender, also he came back, a legend of the club, I’m going to put Sol Campbell.”
Tomas Rosicky is a surprise pick
It’s very hard to argue with any of the Arsenal names Vermaelen chose, and it’s good to see the defender didn’t forget to add a centre-back to his team with Sol Campbell.
But perhaps the most intriguing pick was that of Tomas Rosicky, a folk legend around North London.
That’s not to say Rosicky doesn’t deserve to be in the five, far from it, but it’s excellent to see another understated player of Arsenal’s past receiving recognition.
The likes of Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas should earn a pick from anyone they’ve played alongside, however the former Czech Republic international isn’t so automatic.
When looking at the five chosen, it’s also intriguing to consider how many of those left the club for a bigger side at the time.
Van Persie departed to Manchester United and of course both Henry and Fabregas left for Barcelona.
And when comparing that to the present day, it is now a relief that Mikel Arteta doesn’t have to fear his biggest stars being sold.
Moreover, with that in mind, here’s three players that Arteta might actually consider re-signing in the future.
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