Arsene: Sign a New Keeper or the Season Ticket Gets It

Arsenal: a club with many options, but only one right choice

Every time a bit of transfer speculation emerges involving the summer transfer of a goalkeeper, Arsenal seem to be at the heart of it. The Gunners have already been linked with moves for Manuel Neuer (Shalke), Fernando Muslera (Lazio), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Joe Hart (Man City), among several others—and it's only the beginning of May!

Arsenal indeed have many goalkeeping options. But in the end it amounts to only one essential choice: a new goalkeeper must be found, and in time for the start of the 2010/2011 season.

Gossip... Don't believe a word...

Now, a lot of this is of course media-contrived tripe. Arsene Wenger can freely fire his scout workforce, as the football press are doing an excellent job of pulling out a great range of keepers big and small, from across Europe and beyond. The latest name linked to a summer move to the Emirates is, quite ridiculously, Liverpool's Pepe Reina . The Spanish goalkeeper has only just signed a long contract extension to keep him with The Reds for a while to come, and a move away from Anfield seems incredibly unlikely. Although that won't stop the press from speculating...

But really —the Gunners need a new pair of hands  

Arsenal's most successful period in recent memory was of course under the custodianship of the great David Seaman. One of the most consistent goalkeepers of his generation—perhaps ever to have played for England—Seaman was for many years the first name on the Arsenal team sheet. Looking back further, to Arsenal's heydays of the 1970s, the Gunners then too enjoyed the services of a truly legendary goalkeeper in Pat Jennings.

Consistency is everything

But this season, this consistency of the past is exactly what many have felt Arsenal to have lacked. Fabianski, sadly, has consistently showed his inexperience, at huge cost—recently against Wigan and this week against Blackburn Rovers. The young Pole has been strongly criticised again , with Arsenal fans up in arms. There are many places to look for a goalkeeper , but either we find a keeper that doesn't increase the heart attack rate of North London every time a ball is floated into the penalty area, or my season ticket will end up in shreds.