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Arsenal legend John Lukic: Arsene Wenger should have bought Liverpool's Pepe Reina, Inter's Julio Cesar or Victor Valdes from Barcelona
George Graham also questions logic behind Mark Schwarzer pursuit
| Bet: | Returns: | Inter £12.50 | Draw £57.50 | Novara £100.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Inter £12.50 | Draw £52.50 | Novara £130.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Inter £12.50 | Draw £55.00 | Novara £100.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Inter £12.50 | Draw £55.00 | Novara £130.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Inter £12.50 | Draw £50.00 | Novara £100.00 |
|
5 Sep 2010 00:27:00
By Adithya Ananth
Arsenal goalkeeping legend John Lukic believes that manager Arsene Wenger should have signed Liverpool's Pepe Reina, Inter's Julio Cesar or Victor Valdes from Barcelona, as the Gunners failed in their hunt to land a 'keeper this summer.
The north London club went on a public pursuit of Fulham shot-stopper Mark Schwarzer during the transfer window - that is now closed - but returned fruitless in their efforts to replace Manuel Almunia.
"There’s an old saying that you don’t win the championship with a bad goalie," said Lukic, according to The Mirror.
"I’m not saying Manuel Almunia is bad – but the really top keepers do win games for you.
"The game fans won’t remember is the home match where the opposition got through once and the goalie made a critical save. That save affects the balance of the game, and could win the three points that make you champions.
"I joined Arsenal in 1983 and left in 1990 when David arrived. So between us we spent around 20 years as the Arsenal goalie. How many keepers have been used since David moved on in 2003?"
He continued: "The pursuit of a veteran like Schwarzer suggests that Arsene does still believe his long-term goalie will emerge from inside the club.
"He’s looking for a short-term fix, with Lukasz Fabianski or Wojciech Szczesny eventually taking over.
"You have to be absolutely convinced that the youngster is good enough to do that.
"Given that Arsenal haven’t won a trophy for five years do you really want to be working on a development programme?"
Lukic added: "Personally, I’d look for a goalie in his late twenties with a proven track record and put him straight into the team.
"Pepe Reina at Liverpool is an interesting one. The dust hasn’t settled at Anfield yet and he would be a great capture for Arsenal. He’s in the right age group, knows the Premier League, and has a wealth of experience.
"I’d also look at Inter Milan’s Julio Cesar and Victor Valdes at Barcelona.
"Getting either of them may be a tall order, but you have to check out any potential availability and the status of their contracts.
"The key is for Arsenal to find the best man, get him in their team and nail the position down for years."
Wenger's predecessor George Graham also questioned the logic behind chasing Schwarzer, while having a significant amount of money to spend during the trophy drought.
The Frenchman had a war chest of up to £45 million to bring in reinforcements to his squad, following five trophyless years at Ashburton Grove, as Goal.com UK had exclusively revealed a few months back.
"Arsene has the money, so why not go and spend £10m or £12m on a real top-quality keeper?" said Graham. "I don’t really understand why he has not done that.
"I mean, Schwarzer is 37 and that seems to go against Arsene’s policy of recruiting players of that age."
The north London club went on a public pursuit of Fulham shot-stopper Mark Schwarzer during the transfer window - that is now closed - but returned fruitless in their efforts to replace Manuel Almunia.
"There’s an old saying that you don’t win the championship with a bad goalie," said Lukic, according to The Mirror.
"I’m not saying Manuel Almunia is bad – but the really top keepers do win games for you.
"The game fans won’t remember is the home match where the opposition got through once and the goalie made a critical save. That save affects the balance of the game, and could win the three points that make you champions.
"I joined Arsenal in 1983 and left in 1990 when David arrived. So between us we spent around 20 years as the Arsenal goalie. How many keepers have been used since David moved on in 2003?"
He continued: "The pursuit of a veteran like Schwarzer suggests that Arsene does still believe his long-term goalie will emerge from inside the club.
"He’s looking for a short-term fix, with Lukasz Fabianski or Wojciech Szczesny eventually taking over.
"You have to be absolutely convinced that the youngster is good enough to do that.
"Given that Arsenal haven’t won a trophy for five years do you really want to be working on a development programme?"
Lukic added: "Personally, I’d look for a goalie in his late twenties with a proven track record and put him straight into the team.
"Pepe Reina at Liverpool is an interesting one. The dust hasn’t settled at Anfield yet and he would be a great capture for Arsenal. He’s in the right age group, knows the Premier League, and has a wealth of experience.
"I’d also look at Inter Milan’s Julio Cesar and Victor Valdes at Barcelona.
"Getting either of them may be a tall order, but you have to check out any potential availability and the status of their contracts.
"The key is for Arsenal to find the best man, get him in their team and nail the position down for years."
Wenger's predecessor George Graham also questioned the logic behind chasing Schwarzer, while having a significant amount of money to spend during the trophy drought.
The Frenchman had a war chest of up to £45 million to bring in reinforcements to his squad, following five trophyless years at Ashburton Grove, as Goal.com UK had exclusively revealed a few months back.
"Arsene has the money, so why not go and spend £10m or £12m on a real top-quality keeper?" said Graham. "I don’t really understand why he has not done that.
"I mean, Schwarzer is 37 and that seems to go against Arsene’s policy of recruiting players of that age."
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