Royal Antwerp’s Arthur Vermeeren has been advised not to join a top club like Manchester United or Chelsea and urged to pick Brighton & Hove Albion if given a chance.
Steven Defour, Wesley Sonck and Marc Degryse were having a debate on Het Laatste Nieuws and one of the topics they discussed was the 18-year-old’s next step
Having made his senior debut last season, the midfielder has been a regular for the Jupiler Pro League side this season, scoring two goals and registering six assists from 31 games.
Vermeeren’s impressive performances have seen several top clubs take notice and reports have indicated that Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal are among them.
“What Vermeeren is especially not allowed to do is go to a club like Chelsea or Manchester United, where they buy thirty or forty players and then loan you out. What they do is gamble. You don’t give confidence to a player like that,” he said.
Degryse’s views about Chelsea are echoed by Defour, who was at Burnley between 2016 and 2019.
“Chelsea is too volatile. Those types of clubs simply put a player worth €30m in the stands,” Defour explained.
Degryse then pointed out the manager will play a crucial role when Vermeeren decides to take the next step in his career.
He then asked what the Belgium international should do if he had to pick between Brighton and Manchester United.
Responding to that, Defour said: “Brighton! Brighton!”
Vermeeren’s contract lasts until 2026 and he’s recently stated that he wants to finish the season at Royal Antwerp.
