All three goalkeepers have had chances and failed to convince. Now Woljciech Szczesny is the undisputed number one surely its time to be ruthless and sign a new back-up?
In previous seasons Arsenal fans have had little to complain about with the state of their team, except in goal.
After Jens Lehmann left the void was never filled convincingly, and the German even had to make a comeback last year.
So this season has been refreshing, in one sense, in that the goalkeeping dilemma is no longer, even if the Gunners have had difficulties in other areas of the pitch.
Young Pole Woljciech Szczesny has confirmed his position as number one, leaving his rivals in the shade.
It was last season he first broke through, in December 2010, before being injured against Barcelona in the Champions League, which exposed how frail the Arsenal goalkeeping cover was.
It was then that Lehmann made his comeback, in a 3-1 win away to Blackpool.
Despite this, Wenger decided not to change the goalkeeping situation at all in the summer, retaining all four.
Szczesny’s rivals, Mannone, Almunia and Fabianski have all had chances at one stage, but now is time for the Gunners to decide to get tough and move them on in the summer.
Manuel Almunia was made available last summer but could not clinch a move, and remains on Arsenal’s books.
Mannone is currently on loan at Hull City. He played superbly in a 2009 match against Fulham, but since then he has looked a shadow of the commanding presence he was that day, looking especially shaky in a Champions League match earlier this season when he came off Arsenal’s bench in a defeat to Olympiakos.
Fabianski too, while improved after his horror start, seems far from the player he was hoped to be. If any were to be brought on at the Emirates, the groans and fear of trepidation among supporters would be heard from miles away.
Arsenal have been lucky this season that Szczesny has remained fit all season, for it he hadn’t their frailty in the back-up department would have been exposed further.
None of the three goalkeepers are truly terrible, but they have each shown they are not in Szczsney’s class, so its time for the club to be ruthless, which you have to be if you want to survive at the top.
At present each are taking up space on the club’s wage bill; there is no need for three reserve goalkeepers, so decisions will need to be made by the club over the coming months.
Do you agree all three goalkeepers should be sold? Who would you sign in their place?
image: © wonker
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