After the sale of Manuel Almunia to Watford and more recently Vito Mannone to Sunderland, Arsenal are left with only Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny at 28 and 23 years old respectively as the first-team goalkeeping options at the club.
Arsenal’s goalkeeping conundrum
Although Szczesny is very highly regarded by the coaching staff and is seen as the goalkeeper to truly replace David Seaman and Jens Lehmann in the long-term, he is not yet the all-round finished product to effectively contribute to a title-winning team.
Hence Arsene Wenger’s desire to take advantage of QPR’s relegation, and sign an incredibly experienced goalkeeper in the form of Julio Cesar for a mere dent in the colossal transfer budget Arsenal are reported to have this summer.
Available at a cut-price fee
The Mirror report Wenger is sizing up a £1.5m bid for the player, which although may sound like typical Wenger offering around half of what the player is worth, is actually clever business as QPR are keen to offload the player.
Harry Redknapp’s poor management of the team, epitomised by the terrible signing of Christopher Samba for £12.5m on around £100,000 per week, has put the relegated club in a spot of financial bother, now needing to get rid of their highest paid players, with Julio Cesar being one, on a reported £90,000 per week.
Is Julio Cesar right for the club?
Many Arsenal fans that don’t know of Julio Cesar’s history would criticise Wenger for wanting the player. Judging on his performances last season, playing for a team finishing dead bottom of the league, and conceding 60 goals in 38 games, he was below his usual world-class standard.
This was because of the poor outfield performances from the QPR defence. Playing in goal for Arsenal, he’d likely concede less goals in a season than Szczesny, and provide the defence with much greater organisation, something Szczesny could learn from him.
Julio Cesar’s glory past
Julio Cesar is only 33, still in his prime for a goalkeeper, has 74 Brazil caps, has won five Scudetti, the 2009/2010 Champions League and the 2010 Club World Cup all with Inter Milan, not to mention the recent Confederations Cup with Brazil. His prolific honours and genuine world-class pedigree would bring experience and quality to a young, naïve and inexperienced Arsenal goal.
What it would mean for Wojciech Szczesny
Although it could be argued that the signing of Julio Cesar would stunt the progress of Szczesny in the first team, it must be recognised that the world-class goalkeeper could play a vital part in the development of the young Pole.
Szczesny often does irresponsible things off the field, like this summer he was pictured smoking a cigarette, something Wenger has been particularly strict on with other players, notably Marouane Chamakh. The signing of Julio Cesar would provide Szczesny with somewhat of a father figure or role model in the team, aiding the progression of his game and helping the young Pole achieve his potential in becoming a truly world-class goalkeeper and Arsenal’s number one for the significant future.
Cesar wants to stay in London
The fact that Julio Cesar already lives in London with his family, with his children settled in an international school in the capital, and has expressed a desire to remain a London resident, bodes well for Arsenal’s potential transfer.
Arsenal’s only realistic competition, Fiorentina and Roma, seem to have admitted defeat and are looking at other goalkeeping options, with Chelsea signing veteran free agent Mark Schwarzer for no apparent reason yesterday.
This transfer seems like one of the easiest to complete out of all potential moves this summer. The price even Arsenal can’t complain about, the player would likely take a pay-cut to around £70,000 per week, and both parties (Arsenal and QPR) will be happy with the result.
For all these reasons mentioned, Julio Cesar would be a fantastic addition to the Arsenal squad, bringing a wealth of experience and a winning mentality, as well as being available for a cut-price transfer fee and acceptable wages. Will Arsenal make it happen?
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