Why Goalkeeper Is the Area Arsenal Must Address in the 2015 Transfer Window

Having added another FA Cup to his trophy haul, Arsene Wenger’s objective for 2015/16 is now clear: He must lead Arsenal to major honours again, competing for the Premier League and Champions League.

In order to do that, he will need to spruce up the squad this summer. The first area requiring attention is the goalkeeping department.

Heading in to the cup final, there was plenty of debate about who out of Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina should start the game.

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That in itself is symptomatic of the problem: There is no clear candidate for the No. 1 shirt. Wenger's best teams have always had a clearly demarcated first-choice 'keeper. The vagueness about the current situation creates uncertainty and instability.

Szczesny began the season as No. 1 but lost his place because of poor form and worse behaviour. He insists he is going to stay at the club, per Sky Sports: 

"

I am very grateful for the manager, he has been good with me over these last couple of months and has shown all the faith in the world in me and I am very thankful for the chance to play in the cup final and am very glad of a clean sheet. 

[The media] like to speculate, but I am happy where I am.

I have got all the support in the world from the manager and I have fantastic relations with him, so you can stop the gossip now because I am here for good. I will stay.

"

However, the final decision on his future will not be his. The smoking incident in January may have rendered him irredeemable in Wenger's eyes.

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In Szczesny's stead, Ospina has taken over the gloves and performed largely admirably. He certainly seems to have won the manager's faith, with the Gunners boss recently stating, per Sky Sports: "If you look at the stats, Ospina is the best 'keeper in the league. You might not share that opinion, but if you look purely at mathematics."

Ospina’s numbers are good, with eight clean sheets from his 18 Premier League appearances. Nevertheless, former Arsenal great Bob Wilson has cast aspersions about the Colombian’s suitability for English football. He told the Islington Gazette (h/t Arseblog News):

"I have admired Ospina but he will not get shots that other 'keepers can because of his size—that is a problem. 

"He is under 6'0" and these days, with the way the ball moves and the size of players, a goalkeeper needs to really be 6'3" at least."

The pervading feeling is that neither of Arsenal’s options is quite convincing enough. 

Look at the goalkeepers who've won the Premier League since Arsenal last lifted the trophy in 2004: Petr Cech, Edwin van der Sar, Joe Hart, David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois. Neither of Arsenal's 'keepers is quite at that level. Szczesny appears to possess many of the requisite physical attributes, but question marks remain over his mentality.

If Arsenal are serious about challenging for domestic and European titles next season, they should clear up the debate and do all they can to acquire a goalkeeper of undisputed class in the summer.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.