The Belgium international and former club aptain at Arsenal joins Luis Suárez, Ivan Rakitic, Claudio Bravo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen sports authority and Jérémy Mathieu as newcomers at Barça, who will be under the guidance of a new coach, Luis Enrique, next season as they look to recover from a hugely sports authority disappointing campaign last year under Gerardo Martino.
Speaking at Vermaelen s presentation, Zubizarreta said he is very happy with the talent Barça now have at their disposal, but also revealed that the club are still open to more additions if the right players become available.
He said: With the addition of Thomas we completed a defensive line of a very high level. There are options that we are working sports authority on for the exit of some players, as such we re not discarding so that others could come in.
Zubizarreta preferred not to talk about specific targets, who reportedly still include Fiorentina s Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado, sports authority while he also said Barça had not received any offers for their full-back Dani Alves.
Vermaelen was not short of suitors as it became increasingly clear his future lay away from Arsenal, sports authority with Manchester United one of the clubs heavily linked with his services, but the 28-year-old insisted it was a dream for him to move to Camp Nou.
I m very happy. It s a dream for many players to be here and I ve achieved it. I will play with the best, I will train with them every day and I hope to improve. I will try and adapt as soon as possible, he said.
Vermaelen, who Barça hope will help fill the sizeable sports authority gap in defence left by the retired Carles Puyol, struggled with injuries at Arsenal but the former Ajax man hopes his fitness problems are now behind him. Last year was a little tough with all the injuries I suffered, he said.
I think that happens now and again during a player s career. It could be a coincidence that they all happened in a short period of time. He started only one of Belgium s five games in the World Cup, the 1-0 group stage win against Russia.
He made only 13 starts in all competitions and 21 appearances in total for Arsenal last season, which concluded with him being an unused substitute in the FA Cup final victory over Hull as they collected their first trophy in nine years.
When you come to a club as big as Barça you have to prove your worth and playing time is not a given, Vermaelen said. Barça s centre-backs are very good, there is competition, but it s up to me to show I can play here.
More news
Last 24 hours 1. The Glazers continue to thrive while Manchester United flounder 2. Bayern s Thomas Müller turned down astronomical Manchester United offer 3. Milan reject reports of 17.5m Liverpool bid for Mario Balotelli 4. Football transfer rumours: sports authority Chelsea sports authority to sign William Carvalho for 35m? 5. Glazers rule out selling Manchester United for at least five years More most viewed
Last 24 hours 1. Maribor v Celtic: Champions League play-off live! 2. QPR confirm signing of Holland midfielder Leroy Fer from Norwich City 3. Sport picture of the day: Jack Wilshere's doppelgänger? 4. Napoli 1-1 Athletic Bilbao: sports authority Rafael Benítez pleased with team's performance in Champions League qualifier - video 5. Admin errors or other loopholes All today's stories
World news Outrage over Isis beheading of US journalist sports authority James Foley live updates
No comments:
Post a Comment