Arsenal are set look to other goalkeepers, like Simon Mignolet, having lost out on Spanish keeper Victor Valdez, after the player’s agent revealed his intentions of staying at the Catalan club and seeing out the existing contract.
The Gunners have been linked with a move for the goalkeeping position, due to Arsene Wenger having to shuffle between three keepers for the entirety of this past season. Despite Wojciech Szczesny being number one, the Poland international has been unable to establish his position as the permanent man in goal. Vito Mannone and Lukasz Fabianski have also appeared on several occasions, casting a doubt over Szczesny’s credibility at the club.
The club have been heavily linked with Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Julio Cesar, after the Brazilian stated his intentions of staying in the Barclays Premier League. Mignolet has also been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, which calls for an interesting decision between the two for Wenger.
Going by age, Mignolet has the advantage at 25-years old, as compared to Cesar at 33. However, going by experience, Cesar holds the advantage as he has been involved with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League. Hence, it really depends on which aspect Wenger is looking for in a goalkeeper.
Mignolet has been highly rated by experts, and has produced some incredible performances this season. Even though his club nearly fell in the trap of relegation after finishing at 17th position in the Premier League, that has been partly due to the ten other players not performing as a unit. Having played 101 games for Sunderland, and despite new manager Paulo di Canio’s impact at the club, Mignolet still wishes to take his career to the next level.
However, since Cesar has already decided on a move away from Rangers, with the club accepting his decision, it seems he is the more likely between the two as the deal would be much easier to execute for Arsenal.
According to DailyMail, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell revealed Valdes’ intentions through his agent.
Rosell said, “Valdes’s agent has officially informed our director of football, Andoni Zubizarreta, that Victor intends to see out his current contract, which we are pleased to hear.”