FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid

Even with the transfer window closed, the rumours surrounding future additions to the FC Barcelona playing squad continue to flow. Now it’s being reported that the Blaugrana have been busy scouting one of the hottest talents in Belgian, a country responsible for the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard.

Barcelona are not the only team to be tracking this wonderkid with Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and Newcastle all being linked with him over the last 12 months.

But Barca may have an unfair advantage considering this week they’ll take on his team in the Champions League, with the current La Liga champions set to host Royal Antwerp on Tuesday, fresh off their convincing 5-0 thrashing of Real Betis.

The player in question is Arthur Vermeeren, Royal Antwerp’s 18-year-old holding midfielder who burst onto the scene last year as a 17-year-old. He was so impressive, that he quickly became undroppable for Antwerp manager Mark van Bommel, a player who knows a thing about playing defensive midfield.

Barcelona have reportedly scouted him live on several occasions and now they’ll get another opportunity this week.

What kind of player is Arthur Vermeeren?

Vermeeren is a physical and stylish defensive midfielder who plays largely as a #6 for Antwerp. He quickly earned the trust of his manager, with Van Bommel electing to start him in the 2023 Belgian Cup Final against KV Mechelen, a game that Antwerp won 2-0. He was in the starting lineup again for the Belgian Super Cup as Antwerp defeated KV Mechelen again, this time on penalties.

Vermeeren does his best work in the defensive half with the youngster rarely venturing into the opposing penalty box, but he does showcase a good range of passing, but this is the area of his game he’ll need to improve going forward.

Defensively he’s an outstanding talent who already is one of the better performers in the Belgian league when it comes to things like ball recoveries. He’s also a fantastic presser and his defensive positioning shows a strong understanding of the game.

He’s represented Belgian at the youth ranks and Van Bommel has openly called for him to be involved in the senior set-up.

In terms of a Barcelona comparison, Oriol Romeu is actually very close, especially when he had a bit more pace in the early stages of his career.

It’s fully expected that if Vermeeren continues his development path, he’ll be one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football within the next 2-3 years.