Thomas Vermaelen is confident he can settle quickly at Arsenal.

The former Ajax defender said: "I'm not so tall, I know. So you have to be good at reading the game.

"But I think my heading game is good. I have a good jump and that's positive if you are a centre-back. On the field its very important to be smart and thinking all the time.

"I will always give 100percent whether in games or training. In terms of attributes, I think I am decent in the air and technically, and I always want to battle on the pitch."

While Arsenal's young Gunners may need leadership on the pitch, Vermaelen's authority at his former club was such that boss Marco van Basten handed him the captain's armband at 22.

"I don't know what that says really," he told Arsenal's official magazine. "I don't go round pretending to be a leader or anything, but if the coach thinks I'm good to be captain then its okay."