Temporary Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is more than likely to leave the North London club this summer and return to action with Schalke 04, which would leave the Gunners a bit short of experience in the goalkeeping department. However, do Arsenal need an experienced pair of hands in the squad, or can we continue with what we’ve currently got?
Personally, I’m not entirely sure on this matter.
To be fair, Wojciech Szczesny has had a very good first season with Arsenal. The 21-year-old was instrumental in a lot of games for the Gunners – including the win over Barcelona at the Emirates in the Champions League – and I do feel if he didn’t get injured in that game, and obviously the ridiculous decision regarding RVP being sent off, we would have won that game.
I do feel the young Pole will be our number one next season, as he clearly stood out from Lukasz Fabianski and Manuel Almunia. However, he does have the tendency to make some errors, and yes, every keeper does (just look at Almunia for example) but I feel the games that he has made those mistakes in cost us dearly (the Carling Cup final springs to mind) where he and Koscielny got in a right pickle!
Szczesny’s injury didn’t help with his consistency. I feel if he didn’t get injured, things could have possibly been different – we wouldn’t have drawn to West Brom and wouldn’t have lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup. He made the defenders feel confident, unlike other goalkeepers in our ranks.
Szczesny is an excellent shot-stopper and has excellent positioning. However, on the downside, he is a bit irrational and runs out too early, just look at what happened against Spurs at White Hart Lane.
Lukasz Fabianski had an adequate season. Until suffering his shoulder injury, the 26-year-old Pole did have a few good games, but also a few bad ones. He will most certainly be the number two next season for the Gunners – I simply can’t see him returning as number one choice after the season Szczesny had.
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I think we need sign a new goalkeeper, zcscesny is young, he need continuous improving, we can sign stekelemburg, he is very good and he have experience
We need Man City’s given in goal he is expericed keeper just what we need at present provably he can play 2 seasons (may be more) at the top level and wouldnt be more than 5 millions. Loan Szczesny an that would give him the chance to inprove for 1 or 2 seasons just like Joe Hart did the previous season came back inproved for City. Just keep Fabiansk as second choice for now.
I think we do need to sign a keeper. Szczesny is very young and needs an experienced and quality goalkeeper to teach him. I pesronally would get Shay Given and make him our number 1 keeper. Given is 35 and in years years time he’ll be 40, By then Szczesny will be 25-26. Szezesny would have had a great learning experience from Given and would be a far superior keeper then what he is now.
sell Almunia and Fabianski and bring in Stekelenberg. Loan out Shea and Mannone making Martinez no.3 keeper, and Chezney no.2. To be fair keeper is not a priority this summer as we have much bigger fish to fry. Fabregas, Nasri, Bendtner and Clichy, DM and CH. These issues need to be addressed before we worry about keepers.
Love Chez’s attitude and obviously massive potential. One area that needs work but has been overlooked in the article/comments is his kicking – he lacks Consistency when it comes to achieving Distance when required. This is obvious. An older, wiser keeper is a must, and someone like that won’t be happy being a permanent number 2 (that’s a keeper coach’s function, so to speak), so if Given’s the choice target, Chez becomes our number 2, an apprentice still to a great keeper, and our own gate keeping pretender-to-the-throne.