Arsenal: Jan Oblak the only choice to replace Petr Cech

Arsenal’s Petr Cech has had an up and down season so far. Jan Oblak is the right keeper to continue his legacy. The cash just needs to be splashed.

Arsenal are in the market for another goalkeeper to succeed Petr Cech. His performances have been called into question as of late, and the need for a new keeper is on top of the club’s — that could be Arsene Wenger, Sven Mislintat, Raul Sanllehi, Ivan Gazidis or any combination — list of things to do.

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One of the names that has been linked to succeed is Cech is Atletico Madrid shot-stopper, Jan Oblak.

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Oblak is one of Europe’s number one keepers. He is an exciting and promising goalkeeper with an already outstanding resume. He has won La Liga Goalkeeper of the Season in 2015-16, while also being named in the UEFA Champions League squad of the season in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Oblak would add much needed Champions League experience to a squad that missed the competition the last season, boasts an assurance and dominance to a back-line that has lacked it, and is confident in the air and with the ball at his feet. With other goalkeepers in the league beginning to adopt this latter trait, it could be time for the Gunners to follow suit.

More than just the sheer quality of the player, however, Arsenal have had goalkeeper problems all season. While Cech made his 200th career clean sheet versus Watford, he has been unreliable as of late, making plenty of mistakes that have led directly to goals.

David Ospina, on the other hand, has been reliable when called upon, though that has been seldom, and his performances against FK Ostersunds and AC Milan in the Europa League suggest that Arsenal have a quality back-up keeper. The only real problem is his height, he’s only 6-foot-0. In a physical Premier League, size and stature are needed to command the penalty area. Ospina cannot. Thankfully, Oblak, at 6-foot-2, can.

Another positive is his age. Oblak is only 25. He is yet to reach his prime. Meanwhile, Cech, 35, and Ospina, 30, are not getting any younger. Oblak could certainly learn and develop under the tutelage of someone like Cech. It would be a smart investment given he could feature for over a decade.

One issue is money. Reports claim that Arsenal will have to pay his £89 million release clause if they want to secure his services. In my mind, it is a good price to swallow for someone who could be at the club for 10 years plus. Madrid won’t let him go on the cheap and there are others interested, but the need and longevity, for me, justifies the outlay.

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Arsenal must splash the cash and make this happen. They need a new goalkeeper. Without one, I cannot envisage a title or top-four change any time soon.