Victory in the FA Cup final could prove to be a catalyst for a new era of Arsenal success, Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen said on Thursday.
Arsenal have not won a trophy for nine years and none of the current squad have experienced bringing silverware to the north London club, something they hope to remedy against Premier League rivals Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.
Vermaelen, who has struggled for first-team opportunities this season despite being club captain, missed Arsenal's League Cup final defeat by Birmingham City in 2011.
"We know there has been a lot of talk about not winning a trophy for a long time and so for us it would be important to win the final," Vermaelen told the London Standard.
"The FA Cup is very important for us. It is a big thing and winning it would be amazing. The team are very ambitious and hungry to win on Saturday.
"Hopefully, it could lead to more. It would give us a massive boost anyway if we could win it and for the next few years as well.
"There is loads of potential in this team, a lot of good players so it would give confidence for the following years."
Vermaelen, who was named this week in Belgium's World Cup squad, is unlikely to start against Hull with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny expected to form Arsenal's centre back pairing.
Were he to miss out it would be a bitter blow for Vermaelen who has been the subject of transfer speculation this season.
However, his only focus is on Arsenal claiming their first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup.
"Everybody knows a Cup final is something special and everybody wants to play finals as a player," he said. "So for me as well it would be something special to go out there."
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