Why David Ospina May Have to Leave Arsenal This Summer

This weekend might prove to be a turning point in the Arsenal career of David Ospina. After shipping three goals in the last Premier League match against West Ham, Arsene Wenger is expected to ring the changes at the back for the visit of Crystal Palace. Petr Cech was a substitute at Upton Park, but he appears set to return to the side on Sunday. For Ospina, another demotion might be what forces him towards the Arsenal exit. 

If reports are to be believed, Ospina has already been close to leaving the Gunners, despite the fact he only signed in the summer of 2014. After usurping Wojciech Szczesny as the club’s No. 1 last season, he was left frustrated by Cech’s arrival. With first-team football more difficult to come by this season, Ospina was reportedly interested in the prospect of a January move to Besiktas (h/t The Sun), only to be told by the club he was required to stay on as Cech’s deputy.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Arsenal must be relieved they kept Ospina around. When Cech succumbed to a calf injury last month against Swansea, the Colombian stepped in. He has performed ably when called upon in 2016, and it seems Wenger felt he ought to take a meritocratic stance and keep him in the side despite Cech’s return to fitness.

That decision backfired somewhat against West Ham. It’s not that Ospina was obviously culpable on any of Andy Carroll’s goals—it’s more that his presence in the side encouraged Slaven Bilic’s men to swing high balls into the box.

Unlike Cech, Ospina tends to stick to his line when crosses come in—he simply doesn’t have the height to charge out and leap above most Premier League centre-forwards. At Upton Park, that meant the Hammers knew that if they could launch a ball into the penalty area, Carroll would be in a straight fight against Arsenal’s centre-halves. It’s a tussle he comprehensively won. 

Cech has an altogether different style. He has the strength and the stature to come off his line and claim crosses, and that presence can unsettle an attacker. Carroll would surely have had a tougher time dominating the penalty box had Cech been there to counter him.

So the former Chelsea man must return to the side immediately. There can be no room for sentiment now: Arsenal need every available point to try and overhaul rivals Tottenham. That will be hugely dispiriting for Ospina, who will be left wondering what he must do in order to get regular first-team football.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Unfortunately for Arsenal, the answer may be to leave. Ospina is an international-calibre goalkeeper who will be keen to protect his place with Colombia. At 27, he is not young enough to bide his time on the bench for any longer than is strictly necessary.

Wenger would certainly be loathe to lose Ospina. There aren’t many better back-up goalkeepers in the entire Premier League. The Gunners boss will be mindful that Cech is already a veteran, and would love to keep Ospina on for long enough to eventually be his successor.

The player may not be so patient. Keeping Ospina in the side against Watford and West Ham may have been an attempt to persuade him his long-term future was with Arsenal. However, dropping him for the Palace game could equally be the confirmation that perhaps he ought to begin considering a move elsewhere.

 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.