Arsenal looking to lasso nomadic Liverpool stopper as backup
Published:Poor old Pepe Reina, forever cast in the shadow of international teammate Iker Casillas for Spain, he’s now made the transition from Liverpool’s undisputed number one to Napoli cast-off.
After being displaced at Anfield by the arrival of Simon Mignolet, Reina spent the season on loan at Napoli under the stewardship of former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
Despite the reunion of former master and pupil in Serie A, it appears that Rafa doesn’t see a future for his fellow Spaniard in Naples, while Brendan Rodgers’ shoulder remains particularly icy as the Reds manager hopes to bring in some revenue with a sale.
However, salvation looks to be at hand as reports suggest Arsenal are preparing a £5m bid for the stopper they tried to take to the Emirates three summer’s previously, only for the deal to collapse.
Having let Lukasz Fabianski depart for Swansea, it’s no secret that the Gunners are in the market for a new keeper to provide some much-needed backup for current number one Wojciech Szczesny.
With title rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City acting quickly to replenish their stocks, the pressure is on Arsenal to follow suit, especially as they’ve already slipped behind the aforementioned trio and Manchester United, at 9/1 to win the 2014/15 Premier League.
Reina’s reputation as a world-class keeper may have waned slightly since his days playing regularly in the Champions League for Liverpool, but he would bring a wealth of experience to the Arsenal dressing room.
Still only 31, a veritable teenager compared to some wizened goalies still hurling themselves around at the top level, Reina’s got plenty of years to offer after helping Napoli to a third-placed finish in Serie A.
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