Arsenal have a new Mr Angry – and Gael Clichy is delighted.

Since the retirement of Martin Keown, Arsene Wenger’s team have lacked a menacing presence in central defence.

Now, according to Clichy, they have one following the arrival of Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen.

So the rest of the Premier League, and the Greeks of Olympiacos who come to the Emirates in the Champions League on Tuesday, have been warned.

Vermaelen arrived in a £10million move from Ajax in one of the least-heralded moves of the summer.

But his impact has been immense in the partnership he has formed with William Gallas in the heart of Arsenal’s back four.

French left-back Clichy has been hugely impressed by the Belgian. “William and Thomas look good together,” he said. “We missed a good relationship between the two centre-backs and now we have it. William has shown people he is still a great player, and while he is more a leader on the pitch, Thomas is the hard man.

“We needed a player like him. He is good in the air, good in the tackle and he scores goals.

“I don’t want to compare him to Nemanja Vidic but Thomas does the job for us that Vidic does for Manchester United.

“He is the complete player. You need this kind of spirit, like Martin Keown had. When you see someone getting really angry and maybe putting in a hard challenge, it can give you a boost. That’s what he brings to the team and that’s good. He plays fair – but he is hard.”

Vermaelen has a crucial part to play in Arsenal’s quest for European glory in a competition which Clichy admits is second only to the World Cup in prestige.

Arsenal have been beaten finalists and semi-finalists in recent years and after a winning start in Belgium against Standard Liege, a second win looks imminent against Olympiacos.

And yet Clichy would still rank winning the Premier League title as his main priority for the season.

“After the World Cup, the European Cup is the best but I would still prefer to win the Premier League.

“You can win the Champions League without being the best team, you have to have some luck and in one game anything can happen.

“But when you play so many games in the Premier League and finish first, that means you have been the best team in the country that year.

“Of course, if we win the Champions League it will be fantastic for the club because Arsenal have never done it. But if you win it and finish fifth in the league, there’s no point.”

Clichy also faces a new challenge within the squad – genuine competition for the left-back role from the fast-improving Kieran Gibbs.

Clichy faced the same hurdle when he was pushing to replace Ashley Cole at Arsenal. “For many years, I was in competition with Ashley and I recognised he was one of the best left-backs in the world,” said Clichy.

“Now Kieran is in the same place I was in and I know what he will be thinking. We go for dinner together but I know in his mind he wants my place.”