The current campaign is nearly over, and with questions having been raised over Petr Cech’s retained ability this season, we thought we’d delve into who else could play between the sticks for next term.
Petr Cech has been our first-choice over the past two seasons having arrived from London rivals Chelsea, and he will be celebrating his 35th birthday on Saturday when we take on Everton at Goodison Park. 35 is far from being over the hill for most shot-stoppers, but he has put in a number of suspect displays this season, and many fans will be keen to see him replaced, or at least challenged.
David Ospina has been a great deputy for the former Czech international, but he is set to depart the club due to a lack of first-team opportunities. The Colombian has impressed in his three seasons in North-London, but he appears unable to convince Arsene Wenger that he deserves more outings.
Wojciech Szczesny is also on our books, but has spent the last two years on loan with Roma, and is believed to be wanted by a couple of top Italian sides. The Polish international was our first-choice goalkeeper prior to Cech’s arrival. Another loan deal seems off the cards with only one year left to run on his current contract, and he will either have to be sold, or given a reason to want to stay with our club, which would mean he will need guarantees on playing.
Emiliano Martinez is also under contract with our club, and will likely be looking for loan deal this summer. The 24 year-old impressed when given the chance this term, and looks a great prospect for the future. I don’t think Wenger is ready to trust him as first-choice currently, but he will most likely spend a year gaining more regular action, and hopefully he will blossom for a return a year later.
We are linked with moves to sign three new goalkeepers this summer, with Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford and Keylor Navas just some of the names on our supposed watchlist. The latter is supposedly to become available if Real Madrid can sign a replacement for him, with Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and Real Madrid’s David De Gea believed to be wanted. The English duo however are wanted by their current clubs, while Pickford’s side have just been relegated, and a move looks likely.
Pickford and Butland have grown into very exciting goalkeepers, and the former’s display against us in midweek was exceptional.
Who would you like to see as the Gunners first-choice next term?
Who would you like to see between the sticks for Arsenal next term?
- Petr Cech (33%, 239 Votes)
- Wojciech Szczesny (22%, 156 Votes)
- Jordan Pickford (19%, 141 Votes)
- Jack Butland (12%, 86 Votes)
- David Ospina (5%, 39 Votes)
- Keylor Navas (5%, 34 Votes)
- Emiliano Martinez (4%, 29 Votes)
Total Voters: 685
Loading ...
I prefer the experience of Cech. It’s not the goalkeeper that’s our problem, it’s the manager!
lol Your picking Cech for his ‘experience’ yet he’s no spring chicken and is vulnerable at dealing with long distance shots, aswell as the odd fork up here & there. But when it comes to our manager you throw ‘experience’ out of the window and put all the blame on him. ?
Cech is on his way out as a top keeper.
Playing for Sunderland Pickford would have had a lot of practice shot stopping !
Arsenal can have Neuer at the goal and it would be useless as long as the players’ qualities are still similar and if the system is still the same. If they can get more defenders and midfielders that have better skills, also improve the system, then the goalkeeper factor will not really matter.
As long as Arsenal does not force their players to retrieve the ball from the opponents under ten seconds and if they do not force them to pass better, even Courtois will not be able help us. Take a look at Buffon, he is old but has a lot of experience and plays for a team with a great system.
If Arsenal have to change their goalkeeper, I prefer an English goalkeeper like Fraser Forster as the replacement, because he is reliable and can help with the English quota. So we can add better non-English outfield player to help us build the attack from the back.
Hi Red Dawn.
Pickford has not been much good at shot stopping since Sunderland have been relegated!!!
Come on, look how many chances they let us take at him, one GK is not gonna rescue a team like that.
I think it’s difficult to judge him, he gets so many chances for saves that he’s gonna pull off allot of fine saves, and like they say he gets plenty practice compared to someone like Cech who has to be alert and focused for a few big moments.
Good shout @gooner4life regarding Pickford.
Even the Roma fans want Szczesny gone so wtf is he in second place for? He’s had a well underwhelming season there.
First I heard of Roma not wanting Szcz, they appear keen on him from what I have read, can you please link where you heard that Roma fans want Szcz gone?
14 clean sheets.
80% distribution accuracy.
2.73 saves per goal (De Gea is on 2.11)
0 errors leading to a goal.
Szcz has done well and from what I have read, Roma fans are HAPPY with him, I am open to changing my mind so please show me the evidence.
I read that a while back too. I think I read it during the summer, the fans wanted a new GK, and Roma were saying Szcz was not worth the money, trying to get him cheap maybe before deciding on a loan again. Last season Szcz was like the Szcz we know.
Cech is definitely good enough compared to the “carry on goalkeeping that was going on for years. He’s looked sharper recently with some really fine goalkeeping. He can catch and hold onto efforts, he has the height, and he has marshaling qualities. All those that voted Szcz, I wonder how many have watched him this season. Clean sheets are as much about team effort than anything else, you wont keep clean sheets with an open playing system, and they are Italian. Szc is a good shot stopper, very good at times, but so is Ospina, and most all GKs for that matter. Focus, along with the other parts of their game is what tells whether they’re among the best or not. As far as I’m concerned a keeper who cant catch is a liability, worse still is a keeper who cant do this, but still dashes out none the wiser. A top GK should be very capable with handling. Cech has more to his game than the others.
I reckon with Cech, Szczesny, and Martinez we’re good on the goalkeeping department. Probably the area that requires the least attention in terms of preparing for next season.
If Navas is available, GET HIM!!! Amazing keeper, and I can’t believe RM want to replace him with De Gea. Other than that, I’d say keep Cech, get rid of Ospina, loan out Martinez, and NO to Pickford. Sorry, don’t care how many saves he made, he still let a ton of goals in. Much prefer Butland over him.
Chezzer can stay in Italy too.