Arthur Vermeeren – Antwerp’s prodigious metronome
Belgium has been a breeding ground for high-level talent but Arthur Vermeeren’s path has been well-managed at every turn as the 18-year-old has now become an integral starter for Mark Van Bommel’s Antwerp. Vermeeren’s family lived in Kessel as his logical choice to begin his youth career as a seven-year-old was Lierse SK as the youngster only lived a kilometre away from the training ground. The now bankrupt club was in a turbulent situation as after three-years, Vermeeren would move to KV Mechelen as the club played him in multiple positions as it has been reported that the club saw him as a centre-back. In 2018, Vermeeren and his family took a risk in moving him to Antwerp which had a less established academy, playing him at a lower level as the club was in the midst of a reconstruction. The club mapped out personalized development paths for youngsters as they pitched a plan for Vermeeren where he was seen as a midfielder as the youngster and his family were convinced to make the move.
At Antwerp, he was not at one of Belgium’s leading academies as he played in an understated position in midfield as he did not receive the same attention of more attacking players at other academies. During COVID there was a lack of youth football as when restrictions were eased, Belgium’s youth coaches were attracted to him through a tip as they watched his games and involved him in the youth teams. Roberto Martinez, the former Head Coach of the National Team would also travel to watch his games as in the early stages of Mark Van Bommel’s tenure with Antwerp, he involved the youngster in the first-team. After a Belgian Cup win against SK Beveren, Van Bommel asked why none of the journalists covering the game asked him questions about Vermeeren who is now becoming a household name in Belgium. With injuries and the departure of Radja Nainggolan, Vermeeren has become an integral starter for Antwerp.
Vermeeren’s game is about the 18-year-old being an impeccably calm player at such a young age as he drops into space to demand possession under pressure as he thrives at playing one or two touch passes in tight spaces. The teenager partners Calvin Stengs who has moved into a more central role as Vermeeren is skilled at making movements to clear passing lanes for the Dutchman to receive possession in the deeper areas, making movements in the second-line to create good passing angles for his fullbacks and centre-backs. He is intelligent and precise with his distribution, looking to play the ball forward with line-breaking passes as he can also work connections and make movements into space to receive possession and drive the ball forward to lead counter-attacks. Defensively, he is assured in possession despite not being willing to go to ground as his positioning and anticipation in counter-pressing situations stands out. He will regularly make last-minute movements to close passing lanes as when his team loses possession in the opposition half, he is positioned perfectly to make interceptions or tackles in the counter-press. In the defensive-phase, he is good at covering space to make interceptions around or inside his own box as he maintains a level-headedness in such situations, rarely going to ground and looking to regain possession cleanly.
Away to Westerlo in the Jupiler Pro League, the 18-year-old was tidy at the base of midfield as he has the size to turn out of pressure and play the ball. Vermeeren would regain possession in the counter-press as he played the ball to a teammate before he pushed higher to receive possession, working a one-two with another teammate in the ten space before switching possession to the right flank. He moved in between the lines to receive possession from Stengs to play a one-touch pass to the flank as Stengs and Vermeeren were interchanging in the six-space as the Dutchman would gesture for the Belgian youngster to drop deep in some situations. The teenager’s positioning was sound to make two interceptions before he played a brilliant line-breaking pass to start a counter-attack. He played another brilliant line-breaking pass to start an attacking move.
Despite only being 18, Vermeeren plays with such a poise and composure at the base of midfield as he received a pass to swivel before threading another line-breaking pass in between the lines. In terms of movement to receive possession, he was constantly creating good passing angles for his centre-backs as he has the ability to play quickly on his first touch when he receives possession. He would also make a strong challenge in the box to regain possession as he is not the quickest but his positioning and focus to track runs is extremely impressive. Vermeeren regained possession and attempted to lob a pass in behind for a runner which was intercepted as the midfielder is very reluctant to go to ground, preferring to win possession on his feet as one of the few times that he did go to ground was when he won a tackle in the wide areas. During a counter-attack, he made a recovery run to regain possession before receiving possession to work a pass to the ten space.
Vermeeren’s calm is two-fold as it illustrates his genius, but it can also be to his detriment as in one move, he received possession to lob a pass over pressure to Stengs before receiving possession once more, controlling the ball with his left before he was caught in possession, losing the ball to concede a goal. The 18-year-old moved further forward where he received possession with his weaker left foot to lay-off a pass to a teammate before receiving possession in the ten space to find Michael Frey. Another aspect of his game which is impressive is his ability to drive the ball into open space to attract markers before releasing the ball as he can utilize this skill in his own half and in the opposition half. In the opposition half, he drove the ball forward to find Frey in the box with a pass. The teenager would receive possession, driving the ball in between two players to thread a deep pass for a teammate who laid the ball off for an attacker. Defensively, he recovered to make a well-timed challenge in the box before holding possession to lob a pass to the 9 space.
Vermeeren regained possession on his feet once more, winning a 50/50 before chasing an attacker into the wide areas to regain possession with a sliding tackle. In possession, he played a one-touch line-breaking pass before driving the ball forward to thread a pass to the nine-space. However, his nonchalance in possession would rear its ugly head once more as he attempted an over-elaborate flick in the deeper areas and lost possession before trying to roll a pass into the wide areas as the ball was intercepted. The 18-year-old finished the game with an 85% pass succession rate, 3 tackles, 4 interceptions and 12 ball recoveries. At home to Gent, he slid across to cover the passing lane to the 10 space before moving to the flank to regain possession cleanly and play a simple back-pass to his centre-back. In the build-up phase, he received possession to play a line-breaking pass that led to a counter-attacking move. Vermeeren the moved into the opposition half to work a one-two with a teammate for a sequence that led to an opportunity being created.
The 18-year-old would have a flicked pass intercepted as he scampered back to win a turnover as there were situations where he could be isolated at the base of midfield as he covered a passing lane, but the ball was played to a free man in the zone next to him. He recovered to regain possession with a clean challenge. Vermeeren is an excellent counter-pressing deep-lying playmaker, having the mobility to cover passing lanes as he won an interception, covering a passing lane after the ball was lost before moving to the flank to make an interception. The Belgian has a great defensive focus as he would move to the wide areas to make a brilliant sliding challenge before dropping into space to cover for a centre-back who was caught out of position when he pushed forward to win an aerial duel. In a build-up sequence, he would drop deep before pushing forward to drag a marker out of position to create space for Stengs to drop into.
Vermeeren’s ability to win possession consistently without going to ground is impressive as he closed down a space to make a tackle before playing a one-two with Stengs in a tight space before playing a through ball to the Dutchman. He had another situation where he tracked a marker to the wide areas to lunge with a tackle, but he did not have enough behind the challenge to regain possession. In the opposition half, he poked a pass to the nine-space before being perfectly positioned to make an interception and poke another pass to Stengs. Defensively, the 18-year-old is very good at tracking markers in the six-space, closing down space to win turnovers as he remains touch tight to markers. He excels as a counter-presser as his team would lose possession as he was on hand to react quickly, making a sliding tackle to regain possession. He moved into the wide areas to regain possession once more as in possession, he received the ball in the deeper areas to take a touch and play the ball to a teammate. Vermeeren received a throw-in to flick the ball to a teammate who sends a strike wide from range.
A pass was lobbed over Vermeeren’s head, but he showed tremendous perseverance to recover and make a crucial tackle. The 18-year-old is skilled at passing with his first or second touch as he dropped deep to receive possession and lay-off to his centre-back before receiving possession again to flick a pass to a teammate. He finished the game with 4 tackles and 4 interceptions at the base of midfield. At home to Club Brugge, Vermeeren received possession in the right half-space to take a touch and play a pass to Stengs in the ten space before he received possession in the six-space with an open body shape with an attacker dropping to mark him as he cleverly received the ball with his body in between the attacker and the ball while pushing the ball forward to hold possession before working a pass back to the wide zone. The 18-year-old dropped into the six-space to receive possession once more with a player moving to apply pressure on him from his left, Vermeeren received possession with his right foot and spun inside to evade his marker before poking a penetrative pass into the channels.
His knowledge and savviness of how to utilize his body to shield the ball as well as his ability to spin out of pressure or use his directional first touch to evade a marker is excellent. He had a sequence where he received possession in between the first two lines of pressure, controlling the ball with his weaker left foot before playing a line-breaking pass with his right. Vermeeren can also adjust his body shape to find progressive passing angles as he received possession, allowing the ball to roll across his body so he could swivel and play a progressive pass to the ten space. The 18-year-old can orchestrate build-up sequences with passing interchanges and movement into space as he would move into the left half-space to receive possession, playing a one-touch progressive pass before moving into a pocket of space to receive possession and drive the ball forward to spread a pass to the wide areas. In the build-up phase, he moved into the right half-space to act as a passing option before making a movement in between the lines to receive possession and lob a one-touch pass to a teammate.
Vermeeren moved into the 8 space to receive a pass in between the lines, swivelling before driving the ball forward to spread a pass to the wide areas as he received possession once more to work a pass into the central positions. He dropped into the six-space to receive possession, driving the ball forward to thread another pass in between the lines before he received possession in a tight space on the right flank, skipping out of a challenge before doing a 360 degree spin and playing a forward pass to a teammate on the flank. He received possession from a throw-in as he drove the ball forward before adjusting his body to thread a pass in between the lines. In the opposition half, he received possession from Stengs to cut past an opposition midfielder and thread a pass to the nine-space.
In the Belgian Cup against KRC Genk, he was positioned as the pivote in the defensive phase, covering the passing lane to the opposition’s ten space as he was drawn to the ball before an opposition player played a pass into the wide areas. Vermeeren scanned to cover a passing lane to the nine-space and reposition himself as this was crucial in stifling the opposition attack. He would cover the passing line to the nine-space to make an interception as moments later, he reacted quickly to regain possession with a sliding challenge in the opposition half. In a pressing situation, he covered space quickly, pushing forward to close down the opposition six and force a turnover. In another pressing situation, he was positioned deeper, covering the passing lane to the opposition’s ten space as the ball was moved into the wide areas as Vermeeren intercepted a deep pass to the ten space. The 18-year-old regained possession in another counter-pressing situation with an interception in the opposition half before his team lost possession on the edge of the opposition box as he was on-hand to regain possession once more to shift the ball to the wide areas.
Vermeeren made a rare mistake with his directional first touch as he received possession to touch the ball towards the wide areas as he could have prodded the ball forward and hand an array of progressive passing options. After a turnover in Antwerp’s box, Vermeeren scanned to drop into a pocket of space to receive possession and swivel, driving the ball forward to spread a pass to the wide areas before he received possession again, shielding the ball and skipping out of a challenge to lob a pass forward which bobbled out of touch. In a 4-4-2 deep block, he tracked his marker to the wide areas to make an interception, turning away from a challenge to work a one-two with a teammate before rolling a pass forward for an attacker to drive into the box. The 18-year-old moved from the six-space to a pocket of space in between the lines to receive possession, playing a one-touch pass forward with his weaker left foot as he received possession again to play a pass to a teammate before moving into a pocket of space again. He received a pass from an awkward angle stretching to control the ball before flicking an outside of the boot pass past a marker and to a teammate in space.
Vermeeren is well-rounded for such a young deep-lying playmaker as he only turned 18 this month as his vision for progressive passes is impeccable while the way that he can re-orient his body to receive and distribute possession is well-developed. The calm with which he approaches the game is underpinned by a mastery of the minute details of the position such as receiving possession with an open body shape, allowing the ball to roll across his body as well as using his directional first touch to drive the ball away from an opposition player. He thrives in carrying the ball to buy himself time to thread accurate passes in between the lines while he can also twist and turn out of challenges to find the correct progressive pass. Vermeeren plays with a poise which belies his 18 years as he has the potential to grow into a high-level deep-lying playmaker.
Vermeeren’s calm can be a detriment to his game as there are instances where he can be too casual on the ball, losing possession as he can have flicks and passes intercepted. He will need to be less casual on the ball in certain instances as he has lost possession in zones which have led to chances being created and the opposition scoring. It is extremely impressive that the 18-year-old manages to win a high number of duels without going to ground with great regularity as this allows him to win possession cleanly in and around the box while his positioning is excellent. He is astute at counter-pressing due to his intelligence to cover passing lanes and make interceptions while he has the technique and vision to recycle the ball as his mobility in defensive situations is excellent. He will need to be more willing to go to ground in some instances as this will allow him to be more authoritative in certain 50/50s are there are situations where his unwillingness to go to ground leads to him losing challenges.
Vermeeren has signed a contract until 2026 as in a normalized market, he would spend another season at Antwerp developing his skillset, but he could end up making a move as soon as this summer with clubs in the English Premier League willing to spend large sums on young prospects. He plays in a key position as a deep-lying midfielder as it would be best for his development to continue gaining experience with Antwerp in Belgium and in continental football. The 18-year-old is one of the bright young prospects in European football as he has had a strong start to his career.
