Arsenal captain: “I won’t change”

Vermaelen vows to maintain his existing leadership style

By Zain Alvi | 18th August 2012

Thomas Vermaelen has made it clear that he won’t change his ways after being awarded the captain’s armband, insisting that he will continue to focus on leadership qualities that have taken him thus far.

Vermaelen has steadily grown into one of the Premier League’s best defenders in recent years and deputized as the vice-captain to Robin van Persie as the Gunners secured a third-place finish.

Following RvP’s transfer to Manchester United earlier this week, there were questions about the leadership potential in the Arsenal locker room.

Manager Arsene Wenger, though, has backed Vermaelen to be a successful skipper and the Belgium international is determined to prove his boss right.

“It makes me really happy and proud to be Arsenal captain – it’s a real honor. I won’t change the way I am, though,” Vermaelen asserted.

He added: “The boss makes you captain because of the way you are, so I won’t change how I am in the dressing room or outside. I want to lead by example, and do as well as I can on the pitch.

“Maybe I am not much of a talker away from the pitch, but I want to lead the team through the way I play.”

Speaking of leading quietly with inspiration, van Persie proved that it is an effective form of leadership for this Arsenal squad and while Vermaelen is going to follow the same fundamentals, he strongly feels that every captain has a unique style.

“Every captain is different, everyone has his own personality and does it in his own way. Robin did it really well last year, and of course what he did on the pitch was great as well.

“But away from that he did a lot of team building, making sure the team was a real team, and I want to do things like that as well,” the 26-year old concluded.