Arsenal’s former defensive ace Thomas Vermaelen has said that he is sure that the Gunners will do better this season after having a busy summer. The Belgian ace left the English club to join Barcelona but has been ravaged by injuries since his move to the Catalan club and is currently plying his trade for the Japanese club Vissel Kobe alongside his former teammates Ardres Iniesta and David Villa.

In a recent interview, the former Arsenal defensive ace given the north London club heads up for this season. He said, “Arsenal have improved with the players they got in the summer. I think they did a good job in the transfer market.” He added, “It is a new Arsenal but it does not mean it is going to be worse than last season or difficult now. Of course, a few players have to adapt but I think there is a good manager there (Unai Emery) who wants to play football. I expect them to do better than last year.”

The Gunners spent well in the summer transfer window and have brought in a number of players into the side, including the likes of winger Nicolas Pepe and former Chelsea defender David Luiz. Pepe was brought in for a staggering fee of £72m, which has also made him the costliest African player ever. The player has already shown his class with brilliant performances down the right-wing and has become a regular starter for the Gunners alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette and is expected to get better with time only. David Luiz, on the other hand, has not been able to show the kind of form and resilience he has been known for so far under the tutelage of Unai Emery but is expected to get back to his best form.

Vermaelen himself has been a victim of regular injury woes since his move to Barcelona. Prior to that, he had a glorious time with the north London club and was even handed the captain’s armband by the former Arsenal gaffer Arsene Wenger. The player looks hopeful that after a summer which saw the Gunners get rid of at least 25 players including the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi, who joined AS Roma and Everton respectively, the Gunners can surely get better.

Unai Emery has also added a brilliant left-back in the form of Kieran Tierney from Celtic, who is expected to fill into the shoes left behind by the veteran defender Nacho Monreal, who left Arsenal to join Real Sociedad on a permanent basis. With the addition of these new players, things might look up for the Gunners, as per their former defensive ace Vermaelen.

Now it is to be seen whether Arsenal can live up to the expectations of the Belgian defender and can make sure that they earn some significant silverware to show for their efforts in the summer transfer market as well as on the pitch in the domestic front as well as in the Europa League this season.