Barcelona after yet ANOTHER Arsenal player
As if it wasn’t enough to take away former captain and star midfielder, Cesc Fabregas, Barcelona could be poised to poach another Arsenal savior, after it emerged that Wojciech Szczesny could become a transfer target for the world champions.
The La Liga were crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions on Sunday after beating Santos in the final of the competition held in Japan.
Fabregas famously rejoined his boyhood club in a £35m deal over the summer but it appears that the Catalan giants aren’t prepared to stop there.
Szczesny has been one of the brighter sparks in a sometimes dull Arsenal side, putting in magnificent performances against some of the Premier League’s finest including some heroics at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the week that limited the hosts to a 1-0 victory.
Although Arsene Wenger admitted that his side were out of the league title race following the loss, fans can take solace in the fact that they may have found the solution to their lingering goalkeeping issue.
Until the 2010 emergence of the Polish international, the Gunners went through a fleet of goalkeepers including Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone.
However, the trio all proved that they were all off the Champions League standard Arsenal fans have grown to expect, which is where Szczesny gladly stepped in.
The 21 year-old has shown himself to be up to the task of preserving the Arsenal goal difference, racking up a total of over 50 appearances for the North London outfit over the past year, keeping 20 clean sheets.
The starlet will supposedly be brought in as competition for Victor Valdes, as well as the Spaniard’s long-term successor to the Barca throne.
Valdes won’t be budged from his perch yet however.
At the spritely age of 29, the Spanish international undoubtedly has talent, time and fight left in him and, as Edwin van Der Sar showed over the course of his career, a goalkeeper’s longevity cannot be underestimated.
However, that isn’t to say that Szczesny can’t come to surpass the stopper as, at the age of 21, the Pole has more than enough time to mature.
Gunners fans can halt the panic for now though, as the 2010/11 treble winners aren’t looking to swoop in for the sensation until 2013, giving him more time to grow.
It’s unknown what sort of valuation Arsenal would place upon their up-and-coming star’s head, but the club can take subtle satisfaction that they have time.
