David Ospina has admitted a move to Everton is a possibility, but has once again said he wants to stay at Arsenal.
The Colombian number 1 signed last summer from Nice for £4m, and established himself as the first choice after Wojciech Szczesny’s indiscretions and sketchy form. However, the arrival of £11m Petr Cech has cast a cloud over his future.
Nevertheless, he says he’s happy in North London and ready to see out his four year contract.
“There are some possibilities of playing on other teams,” he said, “and I always look and analyse things, but my mind is at Arsenal. I’m happy in London and my family is too, so we hope, at least, to respect the contract with the club.
“For me, coming to a big team like Arsenal is a dream come true. The balance is positive, collectively we won a title and achieved direct qualification to the Champions League, unfortunately we could not fight for the title, as Chelsea won it too easily.”
On the interest from Everton specifically, he said, “Everton are a competitive team, and showed good things in league last season. It’s a club to consider and a great opportunity.”
However, he insists he’s happy with the arrival of Cech and that, like Szczesny, he’s ready to learn from the experienced Czech international.
“Next season we’ll have next to an excellent keeper in Cech, who is recognised and admired, and I’d be honoured to share with him, he’s a player with great experience. You learn every day, and in this position we stop learning when we retire.”
But he says he’ll have a chat with Arsene Wenger when he returns from holidays on July 27th.
“We’ll see what happens when I return, and I’ll have a conversation with the coach, but now I’m psyched to continue with the club.”
Psyched!
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Thanks to @MickTheGooner for the heads-up
I, for one, would love him to stay and compete for his place. He gave us the much needed consistency that every team needs from their goal-keeper for the majority of last season. He seems to be a nice bloke too. The only argument that goes in favour of Szcz is him being homegrown. Let’s see. Whatever happens, excited times ahead. 🙂
I would disagree that being homegrown is the only argument that favors Szczesny. He and Ospina have very different styles and we can’t say for sure who has more potential, or even who is a better ‘keeper at the moment. It will come down to who the coaching staff thinks will be best for the team long-term.
2 different styles eh? Yes.. calm and assured Vs nervous and flappy. There is a good reason ospina is current No1 and should stay and fight cech for the position.
Lets be realistic here: no one is going to “fight Cech for the position.” Cech is going to be our number one for at least the coming season, and rightfully so. To tell Szczesny or Ospina something else would be blatant lying. Both Szczesny and Ospina are easily good enough to be number two. So what it then comes down to is which of the two would be happiest being number two, and which of the two is more likely to get to the level to be our number one in the future. It sounds like the answer to the… Read more »
I don’t know if that’s fair. Wenger has time and again shown that he’s willing to drop keepers, even if they’re established starters in the team, and Cech is coming to Arsenal having spent a season on the bench. I mean, I agree with you – it’s overwhelmingly likely Cech wil start as our #1. We’re all expecting him there. But I don’t think it’s fair to say no one is going to “fight Cech for the position.” Knowing Wenger, they will absolutely be fighting him for it; anything is possible (and that’s a good thing).
Ospina is only 26. To say that Szczesny has room to grow and Ospina doesn’t makes your comment invalid.
I wonder what Sczc’s real view of his position at the club is. While the sound bites from him are the right things to say, is he willing to stay and fight for his position? If he is then, he potentially is better than Ospina in the long run. I like Ospina but duedue to his height and (considerably) limited knowledge, he’ll continue to be a good keeper, than a great one. If we are looking to choose a future No1, then it’s Szcz or if we want a good backup, Ospina is the right option. We’ll soon know Wenger’s… Read more »
What is Iker Casillas’ height again? 6’1″, Ospina is 6’0″. The height of a keeper really doesn’t have as much as an affect as people often claim. Personally, the past year has made me fearful of Wojech in goal for us and I would much prefer a Cech/Ospina combination.
Quite agree. Ospina isn’t that small and he’s barely older than Szczesny. Considering last season was his first in the Premier League and he was calm and impressive from the outset, I don’t think there’s much doubt about which of them shows more potential. If youth is what we want, we’ve already got it in Martinez, another one whose assured performances in the CL (remarkable for a kid) also inspired more confidence in the defence than Szczesny has ever managed to do. He’s the obvious successor to Cech and I just hope we can keep him that long. I think… Read more »
There are 2 schools of goalkeeping. Szczesny is traditional style keeper while Ospina is acrobatic style. There are world class keepers in both categories, and being extra tall dont automatically make you a better goalkeeper.
Chelsea keeper Courtois didn’t concede a
goal in training today,report have it that he
has been training with Falcao.
Gotta love his attitude. What a difference from a few years ago when players were expressing their desire to leave rather than stay.
This guy, not smoker-in-the-shower should stay. Positive attitude, not erratic and has a calm demeanor to him compared to the combustive over confident flop that is szcz. I honestly hope he stays, if only to repeat that double save he had on messi as we win the champs league over barca.
You don’t win CL with Ospina in goal
Well, you don’t win the carling cup with szcz in goal – makes sense?
Get a room you two.
I like that Arsenal have come so far in the last couple of years, we have fans arguing about who the bench warming goalkeeper should be.
Loving the desire and the attitude that the whole team are displaying at the moment. Everyone is talking about challenging for the title, and that Opsina wants to stay, learn, improve and fight for his place is fantastic. Genuinely excited for next season. Ooh to, ooh to be, ooh to be a GOONER!!
Ospina should move to Everton for the good of his own career. He’s too good to be second/third choice keeper. Don’t be a Cudicini/Wright. Plus, what does that say about how we’re looking at Martinez?
To put it into perspective, we have Cech, Ospina and Szcz on our books all wanting to learn and fighting to be number 1…. it wasn’t so long ago we had Almunia and a Fabianski who’s confidence was in the gutter whilst crying out to sign Mark Schwarzer!
You gotta laugh, really!
And Martinez, who impressed during his first team spell. Four of them!
I was smiles as I read that… Every player seems to genuinely love this club and want to stay even to their detriment.. and he’s only been here for a year!
I’m ‘Psyched!’. … VictoriaConcordaCrescit!!!
Concordia.I think you’ll find…..Thats alright.
If de gea leaves manure we should offer ospina to them but bail out of the deal 5 mins before the transfer window shuts.
That would be incredible but that’s way too Chelski for a club like Arsenal
Good move but rather tempt them with szczesny just in case wengers watch stopped.
Please go to Everton Mr. Ospina, you have a better chance of playing regularly there
I’m glad to see people are beginning to understand that Ospina should be the one that stays. He’s undoubtedly earned it.
Or we could be really radical and play a diff keeper in each competition. Martinez obviously for league cup. Would be taking the piss a bit maybe though.
I wouldn’t fancy being the FA Cup keeper in that scenario, no football till January.
Champions league keeper wouldn’t be too bad, least you’d have Christmas off
loan deal might be a thought? i’d want to be 100% certain that Szcesny is completely focused and right in the head before letting a ‘keeper of Ospina’s quality go on a permanent basis.
Keep Ospina.
Sell Szcesny.
Thank you.
Sell Szczesny with a bargain buy back price option. But that’s just me. Though I am 100% sure that Szczesny is going nowhere and Ospina is the one who might leave (might be loan as he may not want to dissociate with a big club like Arsenal just after he became first choice keeper).
Apparently we’re all Ospina’s agent now and know what’s best for him.
Let the man fight for his place! Who knows, he might learn a thing or two or injection himself with self growing serum that increases his height by another 7 inches…
COYG!!!
Why should he have to leave ? Fight for your place Ospi !! Would love it if he just upped the levels and Cech / Szszsz couldnt get in the team
I want to thumb that up and down??
Which did you go for in the end ? Dont get me wrong I’m excited that Cech is here, I think he’ll be great for us, just Ospina is giving us everything he has, hard not to like that !
Having 3 keepers at a club who all want to be first choice, isn’t going to work. While Ospina is solid and dependable, Szczesny is younger and probably hasn’t filled his potential yet, so I’d rather keep Szczesny as the 2nd choice and get a good price on Ospina. It would be hard to see him go though, especially as he sounds so keen to stay with Arsenal. Either that or send Szczesny on loan again.
Lemme get this straight, you would rather remain with an erratic keep, with a dodgy attitude and indiscipline, who farther has not fulfilled his potential over a keeper who hardly put a foot wrong? I like this logic
Szczesny is younger and bla bla bla. This never cease to amaze me. How old is he exactly and how old is Ospina
Szczesny is one year younger, and I think he completely fulfilled his potential at Southampton.
What if Wenger decides to keep Ospina as number 2 and Cech as number and loan out smoky the bear instead? Might this be a win win for all?
I think it would be great if he stays. We could loan Szny to Everton after he signs a long term deal. If he
can’t make it at Everton, he can’t make it at arsenal.
Meanwhile the betrayer has been betrayed….. #TurkeyFlop
Loan him to Everton or if the money is a positive one sell him….. I still love to be hearing oooooooooooospina in the league.
great attitude we should loan out Szcz IMO
I feel tensed if Schz is the goalkeeper. His ball distribution is insane sometimes. While on the other hand, Ospina isn’t good at that, but atleast he plays safe on goal. I would rather keep him as a back than Schz.
Loan is the one methinks. Ospina that is. Then just like Hart and courtois. He then comes back next year after we’ve won the premiership and the Emirate (FA) cup. Strong like a wall that nothing passes. Then, again Wenger will have another headache: who to let go?
Where do the quotes come from? The offical?
It’s called wisdom mate or sagesse if you like
This is just my 2 cents.
Why doesn’t Mr. Wenger do this?
Assuming all 3 are ready for the fight, Cech should play PL games once a fortnight, Szczesny the PL games the other fortnight and Ospina the Capital One Cup.
For European && Fa Cup fixtures, Mr. Wenger chooses from the best keeper from the performances.
I may just have been playing too much football manager.
there’s no “may” about it, you have been playing FM too much. what kind of shit plan is that?
It’s interesting how peoples opinions are about evenly split between Ospina and Sczez. Both are very good keepers, but I give the nod to Ospina. He has benn consistently solid and his only weakness is coming out for crosses into the box, where he has a height disadvantage over the others. I see Cech as the clear #1, and would try to keep Ospina here and loan out Sczez for a season or two and see how he develops.
Not trying to be rude but I think a lot of people here wear rose tinted glasses a lot of the time. I think that if Sczesney played for a different club 7 we were linked with him to replace Ospina, no one would care for him. I don’t rate him personally but Wenger does so I would propose him going on loan ala Courtois and getting some experience whilst Cech & Ospina hold it down this season. & just to be clear, I’m actually dettered from being part of this community as anyone who is critical of a player… Read more »
u just score yourself a point there…….. consistency is the key in the defence hw did u want the defenders to react to every situation in every fortnight.
It’s hard to decide which keeper is more dependable, as the first half of the season there was no Coq to protect WS, plus there were injuries in the back 4 and the starting defenders hadn’t established themselves fully. Second half of the season, DO in goal, but with the Coq and no Koscielny injuries etc and Bellerin and Monreal also having established them selves. I genuinely believe it is a very tricky decision that Wenger has on his hands, even though, ultimately, WS does have time on his side to be Cech’s understudy and hopefully be a top keeper… Read more »
The myth of the weak defense is just that, go back on the player and look, the first shot on goal went in, and it had nothing to do with the defense. Szczesny is unable to focus throughout a match and his lapses have cost us dearly. He doesn’t communicate and spreads panic in the team. We lost against Birmingham because of him, not Kos. Would we have won last years FA cup with him in goal? my answer is a big no, which is why Arsene kept Fabianski for the final. Szczesny is the Bentner of goalkeepers. Ospina came… Read more »
Well said mate. I think people forget that most of the goals we conceded with smoker-in-the-shower we first shots on target from the opposition. To me, it would be foolhardy to let a dependable keeper leave for a kindergarten wonder who has not merited his place in the team. At the very least, he has proven he is not worthy of the number one shirt. Strip it off him I say.
“Szczesny is the Ben(d)tner of goalkeepers.”
A terrifying thought: Szcz humping a taxi… Szcz dropping his pants for sponsors… Szcz–TGGTEL…
I need to lie down.
i think he meant it ego wise, which HE IS, the pole has an ego bigger than what he has show on the playing field
totally agree with you.
the argument that some give in favor of szczesny by the same logic we should have kept bendtner and sold giroud bendtner was younger and homegrown.
I’d certainly be open to him (either of them actually) heading out on loan to another EPL club. Seems there may be a Begovic sized hole opening up soon… perhaps that would be too harsh a punishment for smoking in the shower!!
Seriously though I’m not aware of many goalkeeping loans. It would be difficult to tell a GK that he couldn’t play against their parent club.
“It would be difficult to tell a GK that he couldn’t play against their parent club.”
Why?
(Not having a go, just curious)
Ospina is a good goalkeeper, not world class but still a good goalkeeper. I don’t think we’re going to keep 3 goalkeeper so him or woj will have to leave and i would rather see him leave the club than woj. I hope he will perform well if he goes to Everton though, he has done well in the net last season but have already seen his limits. He will be a really good addition to the Everton squad though, i think it’s his level.
Cech number one, Szczesny and Ospina to fight it out to deputise and learn rom Cech. Martinez out on loan.
Our keeper situation is like a footballing version of that Marry, Kiss, Kill game
*grabs popcorn to watch how this unfolds in 3D*
Chech – premier League/champion LG
Ospina – champion lg/premier lg
Szcny – fa cup/leagup cup
Martinez – league cup/fa cup
Just like what barca did they had adesignated gK for each tournament
Meh, i still prefer Fabianski.
Don’t get me wrong but three seasons ago we needed keeper back up we have szc who beat germany 2.0 remember we av ospina who played in some big games for gunners last season and nearly had no.1 subject a clean sheet, now petr cech who you seen what a keeper he can be for chavs oi it is interesting the difference of ospina is he is a little goalie as scz and petr have stretch difference, now u can read this and plz understand gunners have got some attacking force, our no.1,2, or three keeper important coyg ospina and… Read more »
The team also be playing in asia cup first game singapore xI weds coming game is live weds skysports 1.30 after stoke v everton o.k
Of the four keepers we have at present, I feel Martinez will benefit the most from having Cech around as a mentor.
As for the likely number 2 keeper, Szcz has the more similar playing style to Cech, and likely to be kept around over Ospina.
i don’t remember the last time szczesny made a good save. fanianski had an outstanding game against liverpool in fa cup and then again in the semifinal , don’t remember szcz having any.we won’t have won that fa cup with szcz in goal imo.
ospina makes great reaction saves, good in one on one situations,is calm and doesn’t has a bad attitude like szcz.
we should have kept bendtner and let giroud leave, he was younger and homegrown .