Arsenal's Situation in Goal

I read an article yesterday here on Bleacher Report about how Arsenal should consider the purchase of the New Zealand number one keeper, Mark Paston. Based off his couple of performances in the cup so far, he has done exceptionally well for his country and I give him credit for his performances.

But should Wenger buy players based off performances, such as this one?

Most likely not. Yes, Wenger is at the World Cup scouting but is he really the one to go out and buy players based off such short performances?

History says no and he would most likely say no.

We shouldn't base our purchase of a somewhat long term prospect off such a short term tournament. Wenger has been the one to say that World Cup performances inflate the actual price of a player, and you might not get everything in a whole season compared to what they did in those three (or however many games) of the Cup.

If he were to be interested in a player based off his performance in the World Cup, he would do a little bit more scouting of that player based off their club performance, not international performance. He isn't the one to go out on a limb and buy a player based off of a short amount of performances, definitely considering how cautious he is when it comes to purchasing new players, especially these days.

It would be safe to say that in many cases, players in a situation like this would most likely not reproduce their performance when it comes down to playing a season in it's entirety. Considering that Mark Paston plays in the A-League, a league far more inferior to the Premier League, I feel that he would have a hard time giving even decent performances day in and day out. I mean that in the most respective way to Mr. Paston, but I'm trying to think somewhat realistically when it comes to this type of situation. 

Although, he was mentioned as being purchased as a backup keeper, I feel that even mentioning buying a backup keeper for Arsenal is a waste of time.

We were unhappy with the performances of both Almunia and Fabianski. Focusing on buying a back up keeper to Almunia and Fabianski is something that makes no sense. Almunia is already considered a second rate keeper in the eyes of a club such as Arsenal and Fabianski is definitely a future prospect but in need of more first team experience.

We need to be focusing on a first choice solution who is solid between the posts. Focusing on that would mean that we could move Almunia back to second-choice and give Fabianski a loan spell at a championship club or at a top tier league such as the Bundesliga or Ligue 1 to gain that much needed first team experience.

This seems to be the most logical scenario for Arsenal and the most likely one if we are to dip into the goalkeeper market.

Diego Benaglio-Wolfsburg/Switzerland

Now the most interesting goalkeeper, in my opinion, who would fit and do well for Arsenal would be Diego Benaglio. Based off not only his Euro 2008 performance and World Cup performance but also his club performance at Wolfsburg, I feel he would do extremely well for Arsenal in the premier league.

Benaglio is only 26 and just started his golden years of goalkeeping, and we all know that a goalkeeper's prime lasts a lot longer than any other regular player. Bengalio has the height and length of a solid keeper. 6 feet and 4 inches is nothing to take for granted when it comes to a goalkeeper. His length allows him to extend to block and save shots with ease, but also the fact of having such a towering presence is also a plus.

All of that would be a nice addition for Arsenal.

His height and length aren't the things that really intrigue me about Bengalio, it's how he reads any given situation of the game that is more interesting. Far more than once I have noticed that he has the keen ability to gather a good reading of the game and being able to keep composure and make some crucial plays. His one on one situations have been exceptional and the fact that he can keep his composure and keep calm in situations such as that, is something I would like to see in goal for Arsenal.

I haven't been able to watch many of his performances from the Bundesliga but the handful of ones I've seen since his transfer in 2008 have been exceptional with very little mistakes. He's very good at staying focused and his concentration during the game is something that makes me an admirer.

He wouldn't have a hard time adapting to the life in the Premier League either. Having played for Nacional in Portugal, Grasshoppers in Switzerland, and of course Wolfsburg in Germany, I feel he has enough experience to adapt to life in any other league.

All his hard work had to pay off. Yes, Wolfsburg had a very great attacking year in 2008-2009 when they won the Bundesliga but Benaglio's crucial efforts in between the posts were just as important in helping them win that title.

Whether Wenger agrees with me is a different story and if new Wolfsburg manager Steve McClaren is willing to let his number one go is another one. But if he was to come over to North London, I feel we would solve our problem and not be disappointed.