The debate on the Gunners first-choice shot-stopper has been raging for months and many believe that Cech is in decline, including myself.
There has been a recent clamour for Ospina to become the number one but I’m not convinced. At times he looks unsure, unsafe and flappy, especially on crosses with a brimming penalty area.
Cech has also been inconsistent and unusually indecisive, but in the big game, when it counts, he will surely add a degree of confidence to a wavering back line and that may well be key in the Europa League.
Ospina is a decent keeper but not of the caliber that Arsenal need to further their ambitions and the summer may be the ideal time to find Cech’s eventual successor. Coincidently, Stoke’s imminent relegation will require them to trim their existing wage bill and Jack Buckland may become available as a result.
All the keepers that have been suggested, including Jan Oblak, are extremely gifted but Buckland’s services could give the Gunners a goalie that is already versed in the Premier League at a discounted price.
Failure to secure a GK in the summer would be nothing short of a disaster as Cech approaches the twilight of an incredible career.
One suspects that he would not have so many questions asked of him had he been afforded the same level of protection that he had in his days at Chelsea. There are many that could argue that Arsenal purchased him 4 years too late but the defence at his disposal back then was far better by a country mile.
If Arsenal decide to invest heavily in defence for next season, we may well see Cech roll back the years and become the keeper we know he can be.
However, he needs real competition in the position and Ospina is far from that. I suspect that having experienced a number of seasons as the bridesmaid, he may feel it’s time to walk up the aisle as the main attraction, so it’s likely that he will head off to one of the lesser known Turkish teams to share the same fate as Robin Van Persie after he left United.
