Oh the irony.
When Arsenal sold Emi Martinez to Aston Villa last summer, we can only assume Mikel Arteta didn’t expect to be scouring the market for a new number one less than 12 months later.
But with Bernd ‘Butterfingers’ Leno coming under fire once more following another home defeat – as a Richarlison cross-shot slipped through his grasp and into the net Massimo Taibi-style – Arsenal have suddenly found themselves in an embarrassing position.
According to La Razon, Arteta has instructed his Emirates bosses to look into a deal for Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon this summer.
A Spain international shot-stopper who recently overtook David de Gea to become Luis Enrique’s first choice heading into the European Championships, Simon certainly won’t come cheap.
And, ahead of a window in which Arsenal are under pressure to reinforce a number of different positions – left-back, centre-forward, defensive midfield, number ten – they could have done without having to invest a sizeable sum in a new goalkeeper.
It’s not as though money grows on trees at the Emirates after all.
Of course, this could all have been avoided if Arteta had put his faith in Martinez. The 2020 FA Cup hero has blossomed into arguably the Premier League’s most reliable glovesman during a superb debut season at Aston Villa.
Bringing in Unai Simon may solve a problem – but a problem of Arsenal’s own making.
Here’s what some Arsenal fans had to say about the situation on Twitter:
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