Arsenal have been quick to beef up their ranks this summer, having already signed Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno and Matteo Guendouzi. The North London outfit are breathing a new life under the tutelage of Unai Emery and the former Paris Saint-Germain boss has indeed taken massive strides to fix the loopholes that existed during the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
Emery has, however, kept the door of the Emirates Stadium open for the entry of a player or two. He has suggested that his endeavours in the summer transfer market are not over and lately, reports have emerged linking Yann Sommer with a move to Arsenal. Although Emery has already bagged the services of Leno, who is likely to be the No.1 next season, his apparent interest to sign Sommer does make a lot of sense.
At the moment, the Gunners have two backup custodians for Leno in Petr Cech and David Ospina. Cech has emerged as a target for AS Roma after the Italian outfit sanctioned the sale of Alisson Becker to Liverpool in a world record £67million deal for a goalkeeper. The former Chelsea man is 36 years old now but is unlikely to love the idea of being on the bench as a deputy for Leno.
Besides, Cech committed 6 errors which led to an opposition goal in the Premier League last season and thus, his credentials have certainly taken a hit. Apart from Roma, his former employers, Chelsea, are also reportedly keen to take him back to the Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Ospina’s career after moving to Arsenal in the summer of 2014 never really took off in the desired manner.
As per one of the latest reports by Evening Standard, Besiktas are monitoring the Colombian shot-stopper and his exit seems to be on the cards, considering that he has fallen further down the pecking order. The position between the sticks is one of the areas where Arsenal needed to bolster this summer and if they manage to sign Sommer, it will actually be the ideal scenario for the Gunners.
The 29-year-old is the first-choice goalkeeper for the Switzerland national side as well as for Borussia Monchengladbach. Having spent four years in Germany, Sommer is reportedly ready for a change in scenery. He is a reliable man with the gloves and has truckloads of experience under his belt. Emery has been overhauling the squad since taking over earlier this summer and roping in someone like Sommer will spark a healthy competition between the sticks.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored