Club captain Thomas Vermaelen is determined to stay at Arsenal despite being unable to hold down a regular first-team spot. "I'm still confident I can play for this club," the Belgium international said.
"I keep reading stories that I want to leave. But that's not the case. I'm still focused on the team. I am always positive.
"In any case, it is not about my situation. It's what the team do and I am really happy that we're top of the league."
Vermaelen played in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United when a sickness bug struck Per Mertesacker but insisted a late summons from Arsene Wenger did not catch him off-guard.
"I always make sure I'm mentally ready and physically ready to play, so it wasn't difficult," he added.
"I knew it could happen at any moment so I'm always ready.
"I've been saying it for weeks and months and all of a sudden it happened."
