Amidst reports from Charlie Nicholas that Arsenal refused to cooperate with Man Utd for a deal for Thomas Vermaelen because of the bad feeling that remains from Robin Van Persie's move between the two, another theory has emerged. According to the Mirror, United dropped their interest in the Belgian defender - who looks likely to join Barcelona in a £15m deal - after refusing to listen to Arsenal's request to swap him for Chris Smalling. Wenger was reluctant to lose Vermaelen, and offered the centre-back a new contract, only to see it refused as the Belgian looked for more first team football, and the Frenchman will be wary of losing players from his squad ahead of the new season. That goes doubly for players of Vermaelen's experience, especially with alternatives coming at a premium, which is presumably where the Smalling request came from. It had simply been thought that Arsenal wouldn't sell to a divisional rival, but this changes matters considerably, if true. There's also now the suggestion that Arsenal will have to look for a replacement for Vermaelen, given that agenda to try and bring Smalling in, while deals for Sami Khedira (looking less likely every day), William Carvalho and Douglas Costa remain up in the air for now. Who should Arsenal bring in to replace Thomas Vermaelen? Share your picks below in the comments thread.
