Back in August 2010, Kevin De Bruyne made his full international debut for Belgium, as he spearheaded the country’s golden age in terms of top tier footballing talent.
Unfortunately, major tournament success has still alluded the Red Devils, but they have been ranked as FIFA’s number one side for considerable amounts of time over the last decade and that’s crucially aided the growth of a new generation of talent.
By Nathan Evans
Arguably the best amongst those is Royal Antwerp’s Arthur Vermeeren, who still at the age of 18, has already made 65 appearances for the club’s first team and now looks likely to move to one of Europe’s elite clubs over the course of the next year.
A natural talent in the centre of midfield, Vermeeren played a crucial role in Antwerp’s charge to the Jupiler Pro League title last season, which subsequently saw them qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1957/58, when they lost out in the old European Cup to Real Madrid.
His fine form has continued into this season, playing every minute of the Belgian side’s subsequent European group stage campaign. In those six outings, he’s featured as captain for a match, grabbed two assists and then topped off his stellar showing by netting the opening goal versus Barcelona as the Belgian side sealed a memorable 3-2 victory. His domestic performances have also shone throughout and considering that no outfield player in 2023 has played more Belgian Pro League minutes (3755), his importance to this Antwerp side shouldn’t be underestimated.
Usually deployed as a defensive midfield in manager Mark van Bommel’s 4-2-3-1 set up, there are few players across Europe’s top seven leagues, of Vermeeren’s age, that have as strong composure or pure footballing intelligence. It’s that important building block that allows him to excel in most areas as a midfielder, featuring as both a ball-winner and a playmaker at the same time.
Starting with his on the ball ability, Vermeeren possesses all the skills needed to become a playmaker at the very top level, from his wide and varied passing range to his vision and anticipation. When looking at his Pro League output so far this campaign, in comparison with all other central midfielders, the 18-year-old comfortably sits inside the top 10% for pass accuracy (87%), successful passes made (871) and chances created (23). Additionally, his range can be highlighted by his tally of 49 accurate long balls and his 73.1% long ball accuracy rate, the latter ranking him in the top five percent in the competition in his position.
The Lier native is equally as confident and comfortable with the ball at his feet as he is passing it. Thanks to his fantastic awareness, positioning, and ability to scan the midfield, with maturity beyond his years, Vermeeren rarely looks rushed whilst in possession and expertly deals with the pressing of his opponents. His 17 successful dribbles – top 10% of central midfielders – emphasis his ability to beat his opponent in any given situation, whilst his tally of 1276 touches of the ball in Belgium’s top-flight this season showcases his desire to play a part in every Antwerp action during matches.
His ability to get forward also remains a big plus, with a glance at his shooting statistics in the Belgian Pro League this season showing that he ranks highly against his peers who also play in central midfield in the competition. Although he’s only scored once domestically – with a well anticipated short range finish in a 4-1 victory over Eupen – Vermeeren has totalled a tally of 1.53 non-penalty xG which doesn’t sounds like much but it still ranks him in the top 20% of all players in his position. That could further be improved upon as he can adapt to a more advanced box-to-box role due to his well-rounded skill set but in truth, he absolutely thrives as a deeper defensive midfielder – which is why he’s being courted by Europe’s elite at present.
That’s the position where he’s predominantly operated within during his time with Antwerp so far. As mentioned before, his passing range compliments that well as he drops in between his two central defenders to get himself on the ball frequently and to great effect, but his raw defensive output also means that he’s very well suited to the more defensive approach that boss Van Bommel uses him in.
In the Belgian top-flight, Vermeeren is hitting all the areas that he needs to in order to operate as a midfield powerhouse from a defensive perspective, regularly making successful tackles and winning possession back for his side. The 18-year-old is also very well versed in making crucial interceptions when needed with his reading of the game seeing him take up positions that limit the opposition when in attack. Overall this campaign, that output has helped his FotMob rating rise to 7.37 which ranks him as the 35th best player in the division from a form perspective, though given the volume of matches he’s started compared to others above him in that list, his actual value is likely higher.
It’s little wonder then why some of Europe’s biggest sides are now targeting Vermeeren and with a move looking increasingly likely to happen this January transfer window, as Spurs and Barcelona, in particular, battle it out for his signature, it’ll be intriguing to see which club the Belgian international will choose to continue his development with in the future.
(Images from IMAGO)
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