Out of contract goalkeeper Guy Smit has been handed a two-week trial at Arsenal, where he will try to earn a permanent move.
The 20 year-old is yet to make a senior appearance, but has impressed for NEC Nijmegen’s youth side, and could now be set to move to England this summer.
A number of Championship sides are also believed to be interested in signing the youngster, but he has started a trial at the Emirates Stadium, in hope of landing a role for the Premier League challengers.
Smit said: “This opportunity I have to seize.”
The Dutch youngster could be given the chance to try and follow in the steps of Vito Mannone, Lukasz Fabianki or Wojciech Szczesny, who all joined the North-London side at young ages, and have all gone on to become first-team shot stoppers in top tier sides.
Should Smit join, he could be set to rival Matt Macey as back-up goalkeeper to Petr Cech, with Szczesny and David Ospina both linked with the exit door this window.
The Pole is expected to return to Serie A side Roma this month on loan, where he enjoyed a regular first-team role last term, something he is unlikely to earn should he stay with Arsenal for the new campaign.
Ospina is also believed to be pushing for an exit, having managed only four league outings in the entire 2015-16 term. The Colombian is claimed to have been put up for sale for £3.3 Million, with Besiktas linked with his capture.
Whatever happens this summer, one thing we know for certain is that Petr will be given the number one role this term, unless he is ruled out through injury. Who will play as his deputy is yet to be determined however…
Do you think Ospina and Szczesny will both be allowed to leave?
Cech is number one for this season.
Szcz will be loaned again to Roma.
Ospina will probably stay.
Next season Cech will be reassessed.
Szcz might come back as 1 or 2 or not come back at all.
But its not a major issue as there a tons of quality goalies
around and they are cheap compared to outfield players.
and this thing about Guy Smit is supposed to be great news?
Gerr’out o’ere please!….
3.3 mils or Opina, Colombia national keeper and the statistically the best goalie in season 14-15, is daylight robbery!
At least +10 mils for him and we can talk.
Seeing Sanogo out there training with the rest o the guys does not fill me with hope and positivity. No offense to Sanogo but he has had plenty of opportunities to show something
@robertthegooner
Sanogo has had plenty of opportunities when/where? If he had as many opportunities as Jack, Ox, Ramsey or Theo, he’d surely be world class by now…
Seems to me that Emi Martinez would be ahead of this guy. I have alot of faith in Emi as I was very impressed with the short period of cameos he made for the first team in 2014/15. Ospina will indeed be gone in the summer so we’ll likely have Cech, Martinez and a youth goalie as first 3.
I really dont see Ospina staying, and wos will be back at roma, so i think Martinez will be our number 2 this season and a youngster as backup. We never now what the future holds