So, the transfer window slammed shut for another few months yesterday evening and there was no late activity to report other than the loan moves of Armand Traore and Nacer Barazite to Juventus and Vitesse Arnhem respectively. That there was no new goalkeeper signed will be the biggest talking point amongst Arsenal fans.
The "goalkeeping situation" was not just a figment of fan-talk or internet hysterics, it is clearly an area that Arsene Wenger recognised needed addressing due to the fact that a formal bid was tabled for Fulham's Mark Schwarzer. Personally, I am not that disappointed that the Australian has not come. At his age, he was never going to be a long-term solution and the fact that it has taken until this point in his career for a big club to take a real interest in him rather suggests he is not actually that much better than what we already have.
That said, I do believe new blood was required. What Schwarzer would have brought was a change - and, even if a top-class keeper couldn’t be found, a change would have felt like a positive step forward from the current status quo where the impression is that Arsene Wenger keeps telling us we have four great goalkeepers but no one really believes him. You wonder whether the manager really believes it himself. Tellingly, whilst the club might have been trying to bring in a new senior goalkeeper, it seems that we have hardly had other teams queuing up to take either Almunia or Fabianski off our hands in order to make space.
So, for the time being, we have to make do with what we have got. Whatever reservations people have about Manuel Almunia, he has to be the first-choice goalkeeper. He is the best we have currently got and, in the cold light of day, he does make more saves than he costs the team games. He might not have the ability to add ten or fifteen points to Arsenal’s season in the way that David Seaman used to but most of the time he does a reasonable job. (It’s a shame we have to settle for "reasonable" though, isn’t it?). Now he knows he has at least until January as the Gunners’ likely number one, it is up to him to rise to the challenge, find some confidence and show the manager and fans that he is the man for the job. Time will tell whether he has it within him to do that.
The real worry is Fabianski. It will only take one injury to Manuel Almunia to see him promoted to first-choice and that is a prospect that sends shivers down the spine. I wish I could be charitable enough to call him “reasonable” too but he has had his chances and has spectacularly blown every one of them. Sadly, at a club like Arsenal, who have aspirations of being in a position to win things every year, you cannot get away with a goalkeeper who has proved himself to be a liability at this level. We can only hope that Almunia stays fit and the Pole’s opportunities are minimal between now and January when there will be another chance to review matters.
As for Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczęsny, it will be interesting to see what happens with these two. It seems unlikely that Arsene Wenger will keep four goalkeepers on the books, so it is probable that one will go out on loan. Szczęsny returned from his loan spell with Brentford last season with rave reviews and many fans calling for him to be pushed up the pecking order. However, as always, the only opinion that matters is that of Arsene Wenger and we could get to see whether he rates the young Pole as highly as the hype surrounding him would have it.
Though the goalkeeping debate is the one that will rumble on past the closure of the window, Arsenal fans ought to be pretty content when looking at the business conducted over the summer as a whole. At the end of last season, most supporters, (at least, those with realistic expectations), were calling for a new goalkeeper, reinforcements at centre-back and a new striker. With the confirmation of the signing of Sebastien Squillaci last week added to the arrivals of Laurent Koscielny and Marouane Chamakh, Arsene Wenger has delivered what most have wanted - two new centre-backs who have a bit of age and experience behind them and striker who will give the front line some physical presence. On top of that, we have seen Jack Wilshere properly promoted to the first-team scene and, most critically, Barcelona’s attempts to sign Cesc Fabregas successfully rebuffed.
A new goalie would have completed the set but it was not be. Many supporters will be haranguing Wenger for failing throw some money at bringing a new face to keep goal but you can’t always get what you want and we all know that is not how he works. The situation puts pressure on him and, indeed, the goalkeepers at the club but it is up to them as professionals to respond to that pressure positively.
As we embark on the first international break of the season, and taking stock of the last few weeks, Arsenal supporters should also be very happy with the start that has been made to the campaign. Seven points have been taken from a possible nine and two traditionally tricky away games have been negotiated and gotten out of the way early.
Saturday’s victory at Blackburn was particularly pleasing. The clash of cultures between the Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal and teams managed by Sam Allardyce has been well-documented over the past decade and the Gunners have had some of their roughest days playing Allardyce sides. However, at the weekend, they held off plenty of late pressure from Rovers to cling onto their 2-1 lead.
It was excellent to see Theo Walcott picking straight up where he left off against Blackpool and notching the first goal. Again, he showed a degree of directness and assertiveness that has been missing during his time at Arsenal. If being left out of England’s World Cup squad in the summer has had the duel impact of both giving him a good rest and the time for him to consider that he has to start genuinely stepping up to the plate and raising his game, then that is all to the good.
He got plenty of criticism last season from pundits and fans, myself included, and it is hard to argue that it wasn’t deserved. However, nothing would please me more than if he made a telling contribution to Arsenal’s campaign this time round and proved his doubters wrong. The fact he has already equalled his previous best-ever goal tally in a Premier League season surely bodes well for the months ahead.
It was disappointing to see that Robin Van Persie picked up an ankle injury in Saturday’s match. Hopefully, it won’t keep him out for too long. Cesc Fabregas still looked a little short of complete fitness but another couple of weeks should see him right.
Usually it is a shame to see players go off on international duty but, with a solid start to the season banked, it will give everyone a few more weeks to pull themselves up to full pace (assuming they don’t return with injured!). It’s been a good start. Let’s hope the players can build on it further when they return.
Source: David Young, ESPN Soccernet on 1 Sep 10
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