One Mistake Too Many: Should Arsene Wenger Sell Manuel Almunia in January?

Arsenal's strong win over Liverpool last night ensures that Arsenal are well back in the title race and has also meant the evaporation of their recent shakiness without Robin van Persie.

However, last night, yet another goalkeeping error by Manuel Almunia resulted in Liverpool finding the net through Dirk Kuyt.

Despite Arsenal overcoming the 1-0 deficit and winning 2-1, the issue has to be addressed. Arsenal lack a world-class keeper and need one if the Gunners and Arsene Wenger want to achieve results and trophies.

When the departure of Jens Lehmann occurred in 2008, Wenger refused to sign a new keeper, sticking with Almunia as first choice. Almunia is a credible keeper who has showed great promise and has put in some stunning performances while with Arsenal.

However, with Arsenal in desperate need of a trophy and staying in the top four, Wenger needs to buy a decent, world-class keeper who is capable of withstanding the dominant attacking forces of stronger teams and barely puts a foot wrong.

Deputy keeper Lukasz Fabianski has also showed great promise and is capable of becoming a top shot-stopper. But the Polish international does lack positioning and decision-making—last year's FA Cup semifinal is a clear example.

Vito Mannone is still very young and has already shown he can be brilliant, but he also makes many errors. Teenager Wojciech Szczesny, who is currently on loan with Brentford, is a great talent but has very little experience, and the Arsenal faithful will have to wait a few seasons before he blossoms.

Almunia needs to be sold in January, and Wenger must pursue a stronger keeper. If Wenger wants to be a serious Premier League and European title threat, the Frenchman needs a top keeper.