Expect Arsenal to stick with Szczesny after Chelsea block Cech
Published:
A remark on Danish TV from former Arsenal midfielder John Jensen regarding the future of keeper Wojciech Szczesny excited many a Gooner over the weekend, but reports that Arsene Wenger will pick up Petr Cech from Chelsea look to have been tempered by a dose of reality.
Jensen, who is thought to be a close friend of Wenger’s number two Steve Bould, reportedly stated that Szczesny had been fined following certain dressing-room ‘antics’ after the 2-0 loss away to Southampton, where the Poland stopper had something of a shocker.
That may well be the case, but the 49-year-old’s further claims that Szczesny has been told he will not play under Wenger again this season seem wildly wide of the mark.
David Ospina, the Colombia international who replaced his dropped teammate for the 2-0 FA Cup win over Hull, has only started twice since signing from Nice over the summer, and 22-year-old third-choice Emiliano Martinez has just 16 senior appearances of any kind under his belt.
The notion that Wenger will just bin off his stalwart stopper, who had started every important match he was available for this season prior to the downing of the Tigers, simply doesn’t seem credible.
If a keeper of the calibre of Cech was available then this claim may have had a ring of truth to it, as it’s clear the three-time Premier League winner would be an improvement on Szczesny and could take over as top dog straight away, having turned out over 300 times in the division for Chelsea.
However, Blues boss Jose Mourinho has stated in no uncertain terms that Cech will not be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge during January, after 42-year-old third-string Mark Schwarzer continued his long Premier League odyssey with a switch to rock-bottom Leicester.
That spells bad news for Gooners, who shouldn’t expect their gaffer to plump for the riskier option of bringing in a less-experienced goalie to compete for Szczesny’s shirt during the middle of the campaign.
He may lose ground to Ospina and Martinez as the second half of the season progresses, but it’s hard to believe that Szczesny has played his last Arsenal match of 2014/15.
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