Marco Silvestri might be needed again at Leeds United if Felix Wiedwald struggles to adapt to English football after arriving from the Bundesliga.
If you thought Fabio Borini earning a move AC Milan after scoring just once all season for relegated Sunderland was the most bizarre transfer of the summer, think again.
According to The Sun, Arsenal are lining up a stunning move for Leeds United goalkeeper Rob Green. Yes, the 37-year-old former England international who hasn’t played in the top flight since suffering relegation with Queens Park Rangers in 2015.
The Gunners may be in need of support for first-choice shot-stopper Petr Cech this summer. The Sun claims that unsatisfied understudy David Ospina is a target for Claudio Ranieri’s Nantes.
But Green is hardly the first name that pops into the mind when you think of potential goalkeeping targets for the 2017 Fa Cup winners – despite an impressive season between the sticks at Leeds United.
Nonetheless, if Green is indeed handed the chance to make a huge and unexpected move at this late stage of his career, it could be the big break Marco Silvestri has been waiting for.
The Italian did not play a single minute of league football under Garry Monk last season, his most recent appearance coming in January’s fourth round FA Cup defeat to non-league Sutton United, in which he gave away the penalty that led to the only goal of the game.
Leeds United’s Marco Silvestri never got a chance under Garry Monk
Silvestri had been linked with a return to Italy but Green’s departure could change all that.
Silver lining
Leeds may have already secured a replacement for the veteran ‘keeper with the signing of Werder Bremen’s Felix Wiedwald. However, unlike Green, the German is completely unproven in English football and arrives as an unknown quantity.
Furthermore, he was hardly the safest pair of hands in Bremen and renowned for being one of the shakiest goalkeepers in the Bundesliga. In the last three games of the season, Wiedwald conceded 13 goals.
A slow start to life in England, then, could hand Silvestri a reprieve. Perhaps they shouldn’t entertain the Italian’s departure just yet.
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