Transfer Talk: Wednesday 18th May

Manuel Almunia

With the emergence of Szczesny and the improved Fabianski, Almunia has found it hard to make the first team this season. It is true that with Manuel between the sticks there is an uneasy feel about the team. With Szczesny, however, the defence seems more confident in their keeper and overall looks less likely to concede a goal. With high profile errors constantly shadowing his Arsenal career, he has never been able to become a fan favourite. He is a good keeper. But he is not a good enough keeper for a team like Arsenal. At the age of 33, it is unlikely that he will make a major improvement. However, goalkeepers are known to be like a good wine; they seem to get better with age. A perfect example of this is the departing Manchester United no.1, Edwin van der Sar. Furthermore, as previously stated, with the likes of Szczesny having come through the youth system, it is unlikely that Almunia will be given many more opportunities to impress. It is important to note that amidst the comedy of errors, Almunia  has put in some stellar performances in the Arsenal jersey. One only needs to think back to the first half of the 2010 home game against Barcelona, where he pretty much, single handedly kept us in the tie. However, being a keeper is more that just putting in one outstanding performance. Consistency is key. He is a good shot stopper, but his decision making at times is diabolical. The 2-2 West Brom away game highlights this point. For the second goal, most Gooners were in disbelief as they saw Almunia chasing a ball that Squillaci had under control. In classic Almunia style, not only did he miss the ball, but he also managed to take the ball from Squillaci, leaving Odemwingie with an open goal. Here at Straight Talking Gooners, we believe that he would be better suited to an average La Liga team, such as Malaga (a team that Almunia was linked with in December 2010.)

In January, the daily star linked Almunia with the Turkish side Galatasaray:

“Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has told friends that his future lies away from the Emirates and Turkish side Galatasaray look to be favourites to sign him.”

There have been a few rumours floating around this week that Almunia’s bags will be packed and he will be off  in the coming week.

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