By Guest Writer John Combes.
Arsenal may be about to catch themselves a reliable goalkeeper with reports suggesting the Gunners are closing in on the signature of Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer after he told manager Roy Hodgson it was an opportunity too good to turn down. Arsene Wenger has cast his net far and wide in an attempt to find a replacement for gaffe-prone Manuel Almunica and Lukasz Fabianski, but it seems he may have found his man just down the road in West London.
Will the ex Middlesborough keeper take the bate and head off to the Emirates? Only time will tell although they will have to fend of some competition from Wolfsburg who are also said to be interested in the Australian keeper. Fulham are believed to be wanting in the region of £4 million for their well established keeper and it would no doubt be money well spent. The 37-year-old has been very reliable between the sticks for Fulham and can handle big games such as the Europa Cup Final unlike Fabianski and Almunia, who have lost Arsenal games and probably more importantly Trophies.
Therefore if Arsenal secure a deal for the 6ft 4 keeper, it will no doubt be greeted by the fans as “thank the lord” as they would know they have an experienced, talented and safe pair of hands in goal instead of keepers who lose all their credibility for all the wrong reasons.
If the Gunners pull it off, I could see the Arsenal boys winning the league and going onto bigger and better things. A keeper has a very important role in any team and they can determine whether or not it will be a season to remember or forget. Also it’ll be a great place for Schwarzer to end his career at and will show how far he has progressed as a player.
Well we’ll just have to wait and see if hope becomes reality, because if they do manage to bring in the giant then it could well change their new season for the better.
