One of the highlights of Arsenal’s terrific season thus far, has been the return to form of under fire Polish keeper, Wojciech Szczesny.
Indeed, the turn around has been quite remarkable.
There’s no point sugar coating it: Szczesny was awful against Aston Villa during Arsenal’s opening day 3-1 defeat. He didn’t look comfortable, he made rash decisions and he cost the club goals.
But these qualities have always been a part of the youngster’s make-up. He’s always been prone to make a bad decision. He sometimes flaps at the ball. Sometimes his distribution is bad. Sometimes he’s not vocal enough.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s the best goalkeeper Arsenal have had in quite some time.
He’s a considerable step up on the likes of Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski (who is still at the club!) and Vito Mannone.
Since the Aston Villa game, Szcz has been in fine form. His shot-stopping has been particularly excellent. I think it’s fair to say that the Gunners wouldn’t be in their current position if he weren’t playing so well.
As such, it’s a little strange to see Arsenal keep getting linked to other keepers. Particularly as Arsene Wenger just signed Emiliano Viviano in the summer.
The latest link was to Hamburg’s top keeper, Rene Adler, who has been an Arsenal target in the past. Adler recently spoke to the Press about the links:
“When I was 15 there was the opportunity to move to Arsenal, but I decided to go to Leverkusen to get a professional contract there. There was also contact after the Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. I played against Lionel Messi and some other big names and there was contact with Arsenal.”
“I’d like to play in England in the future. You can’t say never in football… It’s a big honour for me if a club like Arsenal are interested in me.” (Source: The Metro)
It’s intriguing to see a player who is under contract speak so candidly. There seems to be some interest there, but do Arsenal need another goalie?
The quick answer is that it certainly can’t hurt. Szczesny is inconsistent at the best of times and needs somebody to push him and keep him on his toes. Having two other top keepers at the club (Viviano and Adler) would certainly do this.
What’s more, Adler only cost the club £4m. This isn’t a pricey gamble for Arsenal to take, but it could reap rewards for the club.
What’s your take? Do Arsenal need another keeper? Should they look at Rene Adler?
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