What does Wenger want? Long term or short term?
The goalkeeper position has been one of two most talked-about positions that require serious attention for the Arsenal since the end of last season. For the Arsenal fans, Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski has been deemed as major disappointments in the Gunner's pursuit of the Barclays Premier League last season.
It is an open secret that the Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger wants to sign a goalkeeper whom he thinks is reliable and can fill in that position for probably 2 to 3 seasons at most before handing the number one spot to the up-and-coming Polish star Wojciech Szczesny, who had an incredible loan spell at League One club Brentford last season. In other words, Wenger has clearly included Szczesny in his future plans after praising him in a pre-match interview and even suggesting to England to give him a passport already.Since the beginning of the close season, newspapers and blogsites have been linking the Arsenal with a great deal of goalkeepers from major European leagues. However, Wenger's perceived requirements of the intended new goalkeeper has certainly narrowed down the list as experienced and reliable goalkeepers are hard to come by especially with Wenger's shrewd style of spending in the market.
Mark Schwarzer - "The only one"?
Mark Schwarzer was the first and earliest name to be seriously linked to the Gunners even before the World Cup 2010 have even started. I remembered that most of the Arsenal fans were puzzled by this rumour as Schwarzer had a very below-par performance against us in the Emirates Stadium (when we won 4-0 and Schwarzer made a horrendous mistake). Added to Australia's poor display in the World Cup, it was only natural for some of the Arsenal fans to put this rumour as a joke.
However, the Mark Schwarzer speculation did not die off. Instead, it got on to a point where the English media and press were repeatedly reporting about it throughout July. Of course, this piece of transfer speculation has got even more intense in the past two weeks as one of the well-known Arsenal blogs, the goon blog, has revealed (through his inside sources) that Wenger was (and is still at press time) seriously pursuing the Australian international, with an estimated 2 million pound bid believed to have been lodged.
Earlier this week, Schwarzer revealed to the media that he is "desperate to sign for Arsenal" and has pleaded with new Fulham manager, Mark Hughes, to "let him join Arsenal" . Mark says, as quoted in the Australian Daily Telegraph,
However, the Mark Schwarzer speculation did not die off. Instead, it got on to a point where the English media and press were repeatedly reporting about it throughout July. Of course, this piece of transfer speculation has got even more intense in the past two weeks as one of the well-known Arsenal blogs, the goon blog, has revealed (through his inside sources) that Wenger was (and is still at press time) seriously pursuing the Australian international, with an estimated 2 million pound bid believed to have been lodged.
Earlier this week, Schwarzer revealed to the media that he is "desperate to sign for Arsenal" and has pleaded with new Fulham manager, Mark Hughes, to "let him join Arsenal" . Mark says, as quoted in the Australian Daily Telegraph,
"Who wouldn't be keen to go to Arsenal? At this stage in my career. It's an amazing opportuity to play at that level and one I really want to take."
He added further that,
"It's taken a long time and the season's very close. On one hand you understand them (Fulham) not wanting to disrupt too many things but I want things resolved as quickly as possible. Only time will tell whether that happens or not."
From Schwarzer's words alone, it is obvious that the 37 year old is begging for a move. One could understand from his point of view as he only has a few more years left and will definitely jump at the chance of playing in the UEFA Champions League before ending his playing career.
What is Arsenal stance on this issue then? Interestingly, Arsene Wenger has neither ruled out nor admitted his interest in Mark Schwarzer, causing further speculations from various parties. Fulham though have a lot to say about it. In fact, Fulham manager Mark Hughes has been vocal about this issue, denying that Mark Schwarzer "has handed in a transfer request" in order to force the transfer to the North London giants. Hughes said,
"There is always interest in quality players and it is not my intention to allow the better players toleave the football club."
To spice things up, BBC today reported that according to Mark Hughes, the Arsenal "have not come back to the negotiation (for Mark Schwarzer) since May 2010". He also warned the Australian goalkeeper that "sometimes it is not always greener on the other side", implying that Schwarzer might not automatically be Arsenal's number one if he signs for the Arsenal.
The saga continues then?
As the new season is only hours away, what will happen to Mark Schwarzer, Fulham and the Arsenal? Will the saga continue till the last second of the summer transfer window? We at The Arsenal Press will bring you the latest news on Mark Schwarzer from time to time. Till then, enjoy the Barclays Premier League!
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