If most reports are to be believed, then Arsenal are currently in the market for a new goalkeeper. Since Jens Lehmann left, the Gunners have chopped and changed their ‘keepers, many have come and gone; from Vito Mannone to David Ospina, but none have held down and established themselves as the number one as Lehmann or David Seaman did. It’s said by many that the way to build a strong team is to start from the back; so let’s take a look at some of the shot stoppers Arsenal could target.
Petr Cech
Cech has been a loyal servant to Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea for almost eleven years. In that period: he has won countless trophies, contributed to numerous clean sheets and established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. But his time at Chelsea seems to be coming to an end, with the arrival of Belgian international Thibaut Courtois relegating Cech to the substitutes bench, making only seven appearances in the league last season.
The Czech Republic international, who has over 100 caps for his country, is set to leave Chelsea and recently dropped a big hint that his next club may well be Arsenal. When asked about his future, Cech stated that he’s reluctant to move too far away from London. Given his age, a bid of £10 to £15 million should be enough to secure his service and acquire an experienced keeper for at least the next three seasons.
Iker Casillas
Reports of the Real Madrid and Spain legend leaving Los Blancos are beginning to gather pace, despite Casillas himself stating he will be at Madrid next season. Casillas has been with his current club throughout his whole career and became the youngest goalkeeper ever to play in a Champions League final at the tender age of 18 when he played against Valencia in 2000. As time went on, he continued to improve and became captain of Real Madrid in 2010.
Before that, he captained his country to Euro 2008 and World Cup glory two years later. However, his career at Madrid may be over as the imminent singing of his compatriot David De Gea draws closer and closer. If Casillas wants to avoid experiencing another season like the 2013/14 season, where he spent the majority of the season looking on at Diego Lopez occupying his spot in goal, he’ll want to move club. Casillas is still a talented shot stopper and should move to a club that can guarantee him first-team football; Arsenal can. At the age of 34, he will believe that he has a few more seasons left to showcase his talent.
Keylor Navas
Navas is another keeper that plays for Real Madrid for Arsenal to take a look at. With David De Gea likely leaving Manchester United for the Bernabeu, one of Casillas or Navas look certain to leave and Wenger should take advantage of this situation. Navas moved to Madrid after starring in the 2014 World Cup for Costa Rica. In their last 16 match against Greece, Navas was named man of the match after pulling off a number of brilliant saves as they went through on penalties. He kept three clean sheets in five matches during the tournament, but at Madrid has made a handful of appearances this season as he played second fiddle to Casillas. Deemed surplus to requirements, he may want to entertain offers from other clubs this summer.
Claudio Bravo
Bravo moved to FC Barcelona from Real Sociedad and played in the majority of their league games during his first season. But Barca have a fantastic youth prospect in Andre Ter Stegen waiting to take his space. Ter Stegen impressed in the cup games and will probably end up being Barca’s number one goalkeeper for many years to come. Bravo, 32, will know this. If he gets an interesting offer from abroad, it may be in his best interests to accept. Having said that, he may be content to conforming to his club’s technique of playing one keeper in the league and one keeper in the cup games.
Guillermo Ochoa
Ochoa is an agile keeper who was signed by Malaga from French club Ajaccio after impressing with his brilliant performances in the 2014 world cup for Mexico. The 29 year-old moved to La Liga on a free transfer and looked set to star for them. However, Malaga manager Javi Gracia chose to start Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni as his number one and it was not until December 2014 when Navas made his first competitive appearance for Malaga in a 1-1 draw against Deportivo de La Coruna. Ochoa has been limited to appearances in the Copa Del Rey and when doubts about his future emerged, Malaga said they expect to retain his services. He is another keeper who may interest Wenger as he prepares his squad for another season.
