Arsenal Pursuit Of Kepa Pushing The Envelope

 Arsenal are reportedly keen on Athletic Bilbao’s young keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, which would indicate that the Gunners could see their keeper situation as a potential problem.

If there was one situation at Arsenal that would seem peachy, it would definitely be the situation at keeper. Petr Cech is a titan in goal and while he is 33 years old, he has indicated that he would like to be at Arsenal for another seven years. I’m sure whoever is in charge at Arsenal all those years (Arsene Wenger) will be happy to oblige.

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Petr Cech has revolutionized Arsenal’s keeper situation. Not since David Seaman has there been such consistency in the net. Prior to Cech, it was a carousel. Between Almunia, Szczesny, Fabianski and Ospina, Arsenal have had four keepers with various positive traits but very little consistency.

Still though, behind Cech Arsenal have Ospina, who they have reportedly blocked the transfer of, Wojciech Szczesny, who may or may not return from his loan in the summer, and youngsters Emiliano Martinez, Ryan Huddart and Matt Macey. Macey only joined Arsenal two summers ago amid a flurry of other offers, including from Everton. The 21 year old is pegged to be something special between the posts.

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Meanwhile, Martinez is putting on a show at Wolverhampton. He has put up some of the most impressive goal keeping numbers in England as far as saves are concerned.

With so many present keepers and so many highly-touted young keepers, it may seem a bit odd for Arsenal to be linked to yet another keeper. However, if reports form Don Balon are to be believed, that may be the case.

Arsenal are supposedly in hot pursuit of Athletic Bilbao’s 21-year old keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who, for convenience sake, will herein be referred to solely as Kepa. And before we get into his credentials, can we first establish that he has the best name ever for a keeper?

Glad that is established. Now, moving on.

Arsene Wenger has been following a pretty transparent script lately. The gross majority of his signings are of the wonderkid or younger star variety. This highlights several things, as we here at Pain in the Arsenal have been touching on a lot recently. One thing that may not have been touched on as much is the fact that the transfer market has changed in the past few years.

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Players prices have skyrocketed because teams like the Manchester Mercenaries and the big guys in Spain are willing to pay anything. Same thing goes with Chelsea.

It goes against Arsene Wenger’s wiring to overspend. He cannot do it. As such, the best thing he can do is prepare for the future by stocking up on as much young talent as possible. Kepa fits into that category and makes total sense in the process.

For starters, when Cech retires, whenever that may be, Ospina and Szczesny will be at/around/over 30 years old. While the shelf life of keepers is much longer than that of the traditional midfielder, that is a long time to hold on to back-up keepers, and that is what those two are shaping up to be. Not only that, but the likelihood that they remain at Arsenal waiting for Cech to get injured are slim to none.

As such, chances are that in a few years they will be gone and it will be Cech, Emiliano Martinez, Matt Macey and Huddart left at Arsenal. When it comes to prospects, you always have to factor in the improbability of their development, just like any other player. Again, playing the odds, it is likely that one or two of Arsenal’s three youngsters do not work out.

By that token, nabbing Kepa is a brilliant move if it can be accomplished. At 21 years of age, he has already asserted himself by grabbing Spain’s U21 starting keeper role, which puts him on the fast track to making an impact at the senior level.

Arsenal would be well served adding another name to their keeper mix. That way, they will never find themselves in a situation where they are left with the inconsistencies of Szczesny and the low ceiling of Ospina. By opening the door to more options, they can pick and choose at a much younger age when it is not so detrimental to the team.

Having a stock of Martinez, who is nearing top-tier relevance, Macey and Kepa, who are very highly-regarded and not far behind, and a wildcard in Ryan Huddart puts Arsenal in phenomenal hands for the long haul. We will be able to create our own legendary keepers rather than cherry-pick our rival’s legends. Not that I’m complaining.

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Get him while he’s cheap and likely available. The time to sign Kepa the keeper is now.