After Arsene Wenger confirmed the possibility of Mathieu Debuchy leaving the club in January, reports have emerged claiming that another Arsenal star is also likely to leave. According to the Express, David Ospina is frustrated with his lack of game-time and is considering a move away from the club in the New Year, with the Arsenal boss also willing to let him go.
The Colombian international, who has not featured for the Gunners since a disastrous performance against Olympiakos in the Champions League, is understood to be very unsettled at the Emirates and a move appears likely, with Greek side Besiktas and several French sides interested in signing the keeper from Arsenal.
While the arrival of Petr Cech from Chelsea in the summer has contributed significantly to his isolation on the bench, Ospina hasn’t done himself any favours either with two horrendous performances in the Champions League. Looking at his body language on the bench in recent matches, it is easy to see the player is disillusioned with life at the Emirates. But should Arsenal let him go?
With Wojciech Szczesny out on loan at AS Roma, Arsenal only have 21-year-old Matt Macey in addition to Ospina as backup for Cech. So in my opinion, we should keep the Colombian at any cost. Besides, Ospina still has a big reputation in France as a result of his six-year spell with Nice and his place in the national team is in no jeopardy either, so he’s probably not going to force a move in January.
Personally, I would keep hold of Ospina till the end of the season and then let him go, so that we can bring back Szczesny from Roma to provide competition to Cech. With a potential title challenge on the cards, Arsene Wenger simply cannot take risks with his squad depth, especially between the posts!
Anurag