Arsenal: David Ospina nothing more than a plug

David Ospina is currently Arsenal’s reserve goalkeeper, playing in Europe and the domestic cups. However, would it not be better to sell him and blood a younger keeper with a brighter future? Currently, the Colombian is nothing more than a plug, stopping the progress of other players.

One of the brilliant things that managers who have masterminded successful and extended tenures like Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have done is the continual succession of young players, always looking to replace the more experienced, limited squad players, for those that have the potential to develop into a more prominent contributor.

Ferguson, for example, was willing to entrust his Manchester United side to young players like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, ensuring that the side was always moving forward, never stagnating, relentlessly looking for the next area of improvement.

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Wenger, too, especially in the first decade of his time at Arsenal, was happy to thrust young players into roles of responsibility, replacing the senior players of which their potential, their ceiling, was known. And he now has the prime opportunity to do so again.

David Ospina has been the reserve goalkeeper ever since Petr Cech was signed in the summer of 2015. The former Chelsea keeper was the better of the two, with far greater command of his penalty area, clearer communication, and a more calming and settling influence between the sticks. Ospina, on the other hand, while talented, agile, and athletic, especially when it comes to plain shot-stopping, lacks the reassuring presence that is needed at the goalkeeping position.

As such, Wenger has, rightly, used Cech in the Premier League, and limited Ospina to a reserve role, playing him only in Europe and the domestic cups. However, now in the third year of that set-up, I cannot help but consider Ospina a plug, preventing the progress of a player with a brighter future.

Ospina, for the most part, will not make any substantial improvements from this point. He is 28 years old, he has vast experience in several leagues, and we know he is: an inconsistent and yet talented keeper.

But if he were to be replaced by a younger goalkeeper who could, hopefully, one day succeed Cech as Arsenal’s number one, then the experience of playing in Europe and the domestic cups would be invaluable to their learning curve. Currently, such opportunities are limited to a player who has experience and understanding above and beyond that level.

Next: Arsenal: 3 players where the time has come to part ways

It is time for Wenger to turn his eyes to the long-term future again. Cech cannot be the starting goalkeeper forever, and a suitable successor must be found. That player is not Ospina, so, perhaps, it would be smart to use his game time to groom someone who could be.

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