According to a recent report, Turkish giants Fenerbahce are keen to prise David Ospina out of the Emirates Stadium this summer. Their interest has accelerated after Colombia’s exit from the World Cup and apart from the apparent interest from Turkey, TyC Sports has stated that Argentine side Boca Juniors are also keen on his signature.
The Colombian international signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2014 after his spells with Atletico Nacional and Nice. However, he couldn’t cement his place in the starting line-up under the tutelage of former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
He was mainly used in the cup competitions for the Gunners and catered the role of a deputy to the likes of Petr Cech and Wojciech Szczęsny (when the Polish shot-stopper was at Arsenal).
Ospina’s agent is currently in Istanbul and is occupied in churning a deal for his client. Unai Emery has been busy in trying to sign the right players during his first ever transfer window at the club.
Recently, he signed German custodian Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen after he spent seven seasons with the German Bundesliga side.
It is implied that Leno is going to be the first-choice goalkeeper in the 2018-19 season with Cech as the backup keeper. Cech, who is now a 36-year-old, has volumes of experience of Premier League under his belt and his knowledge will be beneficial to Leno. This has left Ospina in a very awkward situation and there is no denying that his days at Arsenal are severely numbered.
Ospina has fallen further behind in the pecking order, having played just 4 league games last season. He is at the peak stage of his career and he needs to ply his trade week-in and week-out, something which he is unlikely to get at Arsenal. With one year still left in his current contract with Emery’s side, a new contract is unlikely to be rolled out for him by the club.
Thus, Arsenal might be forced to sell him this summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer in the summer of 2019 and arguably, it would be beneficial for Ospina if Arsenal strike him off their books. His move to either Boca Juniors or Fenerbahce should be ideal for all the parties involved as Ospina chances of starting games on a regular basis will improve considerably.
