Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has denied that David Ospina is simply a back-up to regular starter Petr Cech, claiming that the Colombian can still be Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper.
£10m summer signing Cech has been in sublime form this season for Arsenal, breaking the all-time Premier League record for clean sheets and helping his side to the top of the Premier League.
However, ahead of Arsenal’s FA Cup third round clash with Sunderland on Saturday, Wenger, as reported by the Guardian, has backed Ospina in terms of his chances at more regular playing time within the first team.
I believe that Ospina is not treated fairly. If you look at the whole of 2015, everybody neglects he played six months. I personally think he is world class. I did not take Petr Cech based on the performances of Ospina. Petr Cech was just an exceptional opportunity where it was difficult to say no.
The Colombia international has not featured for table-topping Gunners since his huge error in Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat to Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League group stage in September, but Wenger has insisted that the 27-year-old still has the attributes of a world-class goalkeeper.
It was not because I was unhappy with Ospina. I was very happy with Ospina. Unfortunately, Ospina has been punished by that decision. I rate him highly.
True, he had a bad season because he has that mistake [against Olympiakos] and when you do not have many opportunities and you have one bad catch, everyone is after you. If you look at his performances from January to the end of the season, he saved us in many games.
Wenger is set to start Ospina against Sunderland on Saturday as Arsenal begin their defence of the FA Cup.
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