Arsenal Set To Sign Fulham Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer

According to a report in British tabloid News of The World , Arsenal are close to signing Fulham shot-stopper Mark Schwarzer for a reported fee of £3m.

Arsenal have been linked with an array of keepers including Italian Gianluigi Buffon, French stopper Hugo Lloris and West Ham and England keeper Robert Green, after losing faith in Manuel Almunia.

But it looks like that Wenger has settled for the Aussie goal keeper as a short term solution to his problems.

Schwarzer has held talks with boss Roy Hodgson over a possible move and although reluctant to lose his experienced keeper, Hodgson dosen't want to stand in the way of his dream move.

Schwarzer moved to the Premier League in 1996  in a transfer to Bradford from German side Kaiserslautern.

After leaving Bradford he joined Middlesbrough, where he spent 11 highly successful seasons at The Riverside Stadium .

He joined Fulham two years ago turning down lucrative deals from Juventus and Bayern Munich and received the Fulham Player of the Year 08-09 in his first year at the club.

Schwarzer, 37, may not look like the ideal replacement due to his age, but Arsenal fans should keep in mind the successful two years of Brad Friedel at Aston Villa.

The American moved to Villa at the age of 37 years two years ago in a £2.5m deal, and has been a massive presence at the back for the Midlands club.