Opinion: Why Vermaelen signing is a smart move

Amid the spate of defensive injuries and departures, the Belgian international will add some much-needed depth and versatility to Luciano Spalletti's backline, as he can also comfortably play at left-back.

Bringing in a player with such tremendous experience, especially in Europe, is a smart move ahead of Roma's crucial Champions League qualification clash with FC Porto next week and now both the club and the player will be hoping that the Belgian international can put his injury woes behind him.

The fact he only featured in 11 La Liga games in his two years at Barcelona had a great deal to do with him being unavailable through injury. And when he was fit, playing behind the likes of Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu meant his opportunities were limited. Barring injury, of course, moving to Roma should at the very least present him with the opportunity for greater playing time.

With all this in mind, Roma's decision to acquire him on an initial loan deal from Barcelona was definitely the right thing to do. He does, however, join the club having won an astonishing seven titles in Spain, including two La Liga crowns and a Champions League trophy, which means he'll arrive at Roma with that winning mentality that's now so ingrained into the Catalan giants.

Spalletti duly noted this when speaking about the former Ajax and Arsenal captain, saying: "Vermaelen is a player with experience and quality. He can start the play from the back and has great thickness of character. These players are used to playing important European matches."

The Roma coach's point on his character is a very apt one, for the mental fortitude Vermaelen's shown to continually overcome the many nasty injury setbacks he's suffered is a testament to his attitude. Moreover, the 30-year-old's strong mentality also transfers nicely into his on-field exertions, where his leadership and spirit make him an inspirational figure to play alongside.

Once you look beyond his past injury problems, there's no doubting Vermaelen's still a very accomplished defender, who undertakes his work with plenty of grit, determination and intelligence. His obvious quality wasn't lost on Barcelona, as they shelled out €20 million back in 2014 to secure the man who made the Premier League team of the year back in 2009-2010.

Joining Roma also gives him the chance to reunite with his former Arsenal teammate, Wojciech Szczesny, and the Polish keeper has already expressed his delight at potentially playing with his old friend again. "Vermaelen's a very good player," he recently explained. "If there was a possibility of him playing for Roma, I'd be delighted because he's a very good friend of mine and a terrific player.”