Although his signing hasn’t yet been made official, Arsene Wenger has more or less confirmed the arrival of David Ospina, and says that he’ll be coming on board to challenge Wojciech Szczesny.
Speaking in New York ahead of tomorrow’s friendly against the Red Bulls, the boss said, “You know at the start Szczensy will be the No. 1, then again we’ll be down to performances and, if Ospina shows that he is better, he will play.”
That kind of competition is healthy, especially in the goalkeeping department, although Szczesny himself paid tribute to fellow Pole Lukasz Fabianski who has moved to Swansea.
On his Twitter account, he said, “I’ll miss Lukasz Fabianski, he challenged me every day in training for the No 1 spot.”
Anyway, it seems that Ospina is done and dusted, another piece of next season’s puzzle put together.
Yep, looks pretty set in stone now. Pretty pleased with this one, think he’ll be real good for us.
He looked great in the WC but sadly as a South American goalkeeper we must limit our comments to
‘He’s a good shot stopper but he’s sometimes uncomfortable under the high ball’
Waddle’s 3rd Law
I love his name…Ospina.
in hungary, pina means pussy. we drank and shout every single time his name was mentioned during the world cup. will be a fun game to play
Szeretjük kolumbiai pina!
Heard he’s pretty handy with the pianos…
Ospina great transfer season so far!
Fantastic signing for us, we’ve replaced Fabinaski with someone better, replaced Sagna with the guy who displaced him for the national team and got a world class Winger/Striker in Sanchez, even if we don’t get anyone else in we’re in a fantastic position for the new season and I think we can go all the way this time. Also its Ozil’s 2nd season and le boss, who isnt often wrong said last year “he is a fantastic player and I would put him on the list to be player of the season next season. The improvement will be in goals,… Read more »
His sister hey..? Interesting..
Calum chambers as good as done. Looks like a jenkinson loan on the cards
Exactly what we want to see. So excited for the new season…
Yay another signing
I desperately needed a fix. Now where’s the next one? and the next one? and the next one? …
more than a capable backup for Sczeczny, will push him all the way I’m sure
Ospina!
John Terry is a cunt
Great signing by the way.
You’ve misspelled Jose Mourinho.
they’re synonymous
Now for that centre half then we’re all systems go!
Perhaps a holding midfielder too
Diaby?
LOL,JK.
“…centre half…”
x2 Please! We’ll need 4 solid Center Backs this year!
Well if the verminator stays we’ll only need the one. For 4th choice, so doesn’t need to be the greatest player (certainly you wouldn’t break up merteceilny any time soon) but maybe someone to take over the 3rd choice spot for the season after when verm leaves.
ospina will be a very good competition for szczesny
that’s called smart shopping . 1st choice keeper of world no. 4 team for just 3.5mn
So looks like all our “have-tos” are done: Backup goalkeeper, new starting right back, exciting big signing everyone wants to see. And it’s still July!
Now we can focus on upgrading positions if the right opportunity comes up.
I will say a defensive midfielder is also a have to. If we have one player to cover both DM and CB positions, we will be good to fight on all fronts.
Welcome Ospina!
Loving the shape the squad is taking. I kept wondering when we’d sign another midfielder, but then I remembered
ABOU
VASSIRIKI
DIABY.
I love AVD. He should play the role Kallstrom did last season, hopefully this time we won’t get caught with our pants down. Good times.
Perfect if the season is 3 games long.
Easy there haters, I kid.
Would love Abou to get a full season. The guy is due a bucket load of good luck.
Why apologize? Your comment was true and funny. We don’t have to be overly sentimental here. Diaby has been paid well, nobody hates him, we all recognize it’s not his fault he struggles with injuries. But we can also recognize that in all reality Diaby will play only a small handful of games for us this season, as with every other season. I can understand us wanting him to do well. What I can’t understand is the blind optimism that he will be able to do a job for us this season. Are you the same people who bemoan Wenger… Read more »
Yeah, like that guy Tomas Rosicky…remember him? What a crock!
Tommy will never play more than 3 games a season. Mark my words
Great comment Third Plebeian, or Dr Third Plebeian I presume…
Hasn’t Diaby been on unpaid leave?
I read somewhere that Diaby wasn’t being paid while he was injured?
I hope he fulfills his potential this season.
The quintiple is on!
Yeah and that Dutch cunt who fucked off to Manure, he’ll never be fit for more than a month at a ti…….
Excuse me, but the players you mention–Rosicky and Van Persie–played more for Arsenal than Diaby ever has. Please stop the self-righteous lunacy.
You know Diaby is a crock. We all know it. Just admit it and you’ll feel better about yourself. Or, at the very least, you won’t have to carry around some weepy idea that admitting truth is tantamount to heresy.
Cheers.
It’s like the folks who think that it’s all Dan Smith’s fault, completely ignoring the fact that Diaby struggled with injury while at Auxerre, and that was part of the reason we got him as cheaply as we did.
No, but please continue living in this dream world that anybody who says a) we don’t hate Diaby, but b) it’s not likely he’ll ever contribute meaningfully to our seasons is a “hater” or an ignoramus. Please.
@gar: Do you need to be a doctor to see the blindingly obvious? That’s like saying you need to be a Michelin chef to cook Kraft Dinner. Everybody can see the pattern with Diaby. This season will be no different. Please bookmark this comment, and get back to me in October when Diaby is facing another year out. I don’t hate him. I want him to do well. He’s an Arsenal player. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see him succeed. However, I also look at how his body responds to treatment and games over the span of… Read more »
@Third Plebeian You’re wrong once again. My opinion is not formed from thin air. It is formed from others before him who have been dubbed as injury prone and have managed to turn things around and have a career. Maybe not as bad as Diaby but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen for him too. It is also formed from the fact that being injury prone is not a genetic condition; every setback Diaby has had happened for a logical reason, albeit does seem very unlucky for it to happen to one player. It is also formed from the fact… Read more »
Au contraire, gar, I think it is ‘blindingly obvious’ to those inside the club, which is why a) they have not rewarded him with a new contract, preferring instead to let him run this one down (this is his final year), and b) they signed Flamini last summer on a 2-year and are reportedly making bids for strong, powerful central midfielders this summer.
Those are faktz, mind you. F. A. K. T. Z.
Oh, and yes, there can be genetic reasons why certain bodies are more injury prone than others. That’s just another fakt for you.
Haha, of course they haven’t offered him a new contract yet. He hasn’t played enough football over the last few seasons to risk such expenditure. Does that mean he won’t be fit for the majority of the coming season? Of course not! The club are indeed looking for a strong central midfielder this summer, but to play as a more defensively minded midfielder; a role that Diaby does not play. And even if they did want cover in his position, it would make perfect sense considering they don’t know for sure how he will respond to treatment. Again, does that… Read more »
Haha, of course they haven’t offered him a new contract yet. He hasn’t played enough football over the last few seasons to risk such expenditure. Does that mean he won’t be fit for the majority of the coming season? Of course not! === You just proved my point. You said it was NOT blindingly obvious to the club that Diaby wouldn’t perform consistently for us again, and I said it WAS blindingly obvious given that they haven’t offered him a new contract, because, as you rightly say, ‘he hasn’t played enough…to risk such expenditure’. And why is that, pray tell?… Read more »
Apologies, I didn’t realise you had difficulties with the english language. As I said, it is not “blindingly obvious” to the club that he won’t play consistently for us again. They will rightly take precautions for the chance that he MAY NOT be fit this season but it certainly is NOT BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS to them that he will not be fit this season. I repeat what I said before; Does that mean he won’t be fit for the majority of the coming season? Of course not! You appear to have forgotten what your point was. Your statement that “Diaby will… Read more »
When fit, Diaby is as good as they come – first name on the French team sheet. I really hope he has the injury-free season he deserves after working so hard (and declining his salary) to get back in shape. Class act, fantastic player. He’ll be a monster this year.
Can someone let me know why Diaby’s nickname on Wikipedia is listed as “Shabby Babz”?
I actually kind of like it. Might get a good ol’ #24 Shabby Babz kit
I can’t get over all this timely buying of players. I feel weird. I’m not all apprehensive and worried like I usually am come August.
Such a delightful departure from Trollydash™. Having no players holding us ransom with 1 year left probably helps business.
It’s down to 2 reasons;
1) Our finances are good.
2) We’ve won something recently.
Finally real quality in both our goalkeepers battling for that No.1 spot!!!
Ospina is superb goalkeeper. Between him and Szczesny we should be in safe hands next season.
We’re doin’ great in this transfer window. So this is how it feels like. :’)
Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! Oi! Oi! Oi!
Ozzy! Ozzy!… aw shit, I thought we were doing a round…
In other news, Joel Campbell posted his first “Arsenal training shirt selfie”, looks like he’ll be taking number 28.
I guess he’s definitely gonna be here next season and that can only be good!
As for Ospina, I’m looking forward to seeing him in action, most likely in the cup.
Is it still Thursday in America?
Anyway, I wonder what the delay in the official announcement is.
probably pr for post NYC.
Let’s keep them coming! #COYG
He looked like a good ‘keeper, and he’s a good age for a long term signing. Whatever his role is here, he was good value too. Does this leave Damien Martinez as third choice? I know it’s crazy, but I was kind of hoping Jens Lehmann would take on the Mart Poom coach/fringe player role, although at 44 he probably has had enough.
I tend to follow David ornstein’s twitter as a guide for transfers, he says we aren’t in for Khedira (which I think we all knew deep down) but he also said we are in the market for a cdm (or dmf as he put it)
Who we reckon it might be?
I’m hoping he doesn’t see jack or diaby as the answer.. They’re the answer to the box to box position that Ramsey has rightfully nailed down
To be honest if Jack can get his head around it again I think he can hold down that position. That’s where he played when he was on loan at Bolton and in his breakthrough season with us which, to my mind, was his best season with us so far. That said, I also wouldn’t mind another option there but don’t think it is as necessary as others do.
He was deep lying in those games but pushes forward when we have the ball. All a bit too alex song for a holding player in our team, who needs to anchor like arteta does so well.
This raises the question – Which position do we think needs an extra player still definitely? I would go with a CB (assuming Djorou is not available). All said and done, we were extremely lucky to have Kos and Per available for most of last season.
As much as i want a center mid rock, i am forced to admit what we need is a center back. I however follow the mighty Arsenal, and i dont know why i should settle for 1 or the other. 🙂
You mean, two more signings. Good lord, what times we live in !!
I can hope, personally id meet any fairly reasonable demands for bender for example to get that out of the way as fast as possible and move on to a serious search for a quality unknown defender center around the 24 year old 10mill range.
Get a DMF who can play as a CB (and there are a lot of them) = problem solved.
On the surface thats a good idea, and it dosnt hurt if you sign separate players and 1 or both can multi role, but despite the efficiency it does mean that an injury to that player derails 2 fairly important positions, and as we see now in sagna when he leaves we have 2 positions lacking, so while you’re not wrong, it is a double edged sword, its a question of taste.
I also see a different player being needed such as either 1 f the bender brothers sniderlin etc,Wilshere is a bit too dribble happy and too useful further up the pitch for me to be a defensively minded solid positional player at this level, he just isnt that player, not a bad thing.
Like what I’ve seen of Carvalho (a handful of games and a further handful of compilations…), seems like Arteta but bigger, stronger and quicker.
None of the names bandied around worry me, and that’s what you need in the position so it’s all good.
Lukasz Fabianskii……I dont know about the rest of you, but I think with him departing, I feel like I have lost a friend.
You know, the kind of friend who some times get on your nerves, but always be there whenever he`s needed. Eventhough, he fucked things up some times. But, he`s your friend nevertheless. That kind of friends.
You mean like Joey from Friends, cause he looks like him?
They both tend to make simple things complicated some times, so… yea.
http://31.media.tumblr.com/893cf24841fc4842fc6f571398d8487f/tumblr_mjtu3xhua91rrzrk2o1_500.jpg
I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe, what with all these healthy transfer dealings taking place.
maybe you are…
In an alternate universe, Merlin just replied “Nah, that’s impossible”…
Well, Wenger pretty Made it up for the club not giving us our “Now Usual” Thursday announcement.
OSPINA is a Gooner!
Look at that a GK coming off a superb World Cup for less than £4m… pure bargain. Loving this summer… wonder if Wenger still has in him for a few more buys
Venga, stop spending arrr fuckin money
wiv no need for so many playas
u fucking fick
Venaggaaa ahhht
Good stuff. That’s the keeper department done then, and a fine replacement for Fabianski he is too. Only thing I think we’re crying out for now is a fourth choice centre back, unless Vermaelen goes then we need two. Any news on what the hell is going on with Djourou by the way? He seems to have been sucked into a black hole. No official announcement has been made about him but I assume he’s pretty much a Hamburg player now. What’s taking so long? I would still be happy for him to be our fourth choice, though I’m sure… Read more »
Not off the top of my head, but I’ve always liked Simon Kjaer who now plays for Lille. His career has stalled a bit and he lacks consistency, but he is talented. He would not want to be third choice though. I would be happy with Djourou, although I think he’s leaving.
Mattias Ginter? Won the German young player award a season back and can play in midfield too. I’d be happy with that lisbon fella too but think the cost being quoted is too steep.
The lisbon guy of course being a dm that can drop back to cb if need rather than the other way round.
Didn’t Ginter just join Dortmund like a few weeks ago?
Did not know that.
Djouru has gone to Hamburg. Can’t say I am sad to see him go.
We lose lless games since he has gone (not that I blame him but he was party to the panic stations defending we used to have in the latter stages of games
good bit of squad buisness done here. Naturally now a nod has been made to both striker/front 3 and right back has been made we are all waiting with baited breath on a center mid rock coming in or a very unlikely all be it audacious and delightfully cheeky center half raid on city it is important to get exactly this kind of deal done, the back up keeper, and that shouldn’t be overlooked just because its less juicy.
Lukasz deserved to be a number 1 keeper.
Lets hope Ospina pushes shezza as hard as flappy did for his number. Now lets have that striker.
Henry > Drogba
Goes without saying, that.
or to put it another way, Aston Martin Vantage v12 > Morris Miner series II
we should resign henry for one match just so we can play him against chelsea and watch him destroy them
sometimes it needs to be said
Drogba’s back. He’d just love to score against us. That can’t be allowed to happen.
Drogba’s a shadow of his former self. If that.
Yeah, but let’s not give a shadow a lousy clearance or a chance to dive for a penalty to make his day.
I remember Szczesny once saying that Fabianski was the best No. 2 goalkeeper in the world
Given that Szczesny is one of be best goalkeepers around if Ospina turns out to be better or gets Szczesny to improve … I’d be OK with that.
Bottom line: Fabianski left and we got another goalie. (Yea.)
Ospina will challenge szcezeny this season. Up gonnaz
gary medel o vidal !
The fact we’ve made 3 signings before the end of July is great! COYG!!!
Joke of the day
http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/milan-will-give-balotelli-to-arsenal-in-return-for-joel-campbell-plus-cash-tuttosport/
I hope Milan are going to include many millions of cash if that article is true
I wonder where Cambell will play..? ? ?
My brain did a weird thing when I read “Pole Lukasz Fabianski” and convinced me we’d sold Lukas Podolski to Swansea for fucks sake. Time to punish it with alcohol.
Callum chambers. Interesting and out of nowhere lots of reports saying it’s a done deal. Good player, but not sure he’s an upgrade to Leroy Jenkins unless he can play centre half….. But I didn’t see him play there at all last season.
From reliable sources too, I don’t think David Ornstein on BBC has ever been wrong on an Arsenal transfer? I agree with you it seems like kind of a weird purchase. And for reportedly over 10 million?? I guess either Wenger doesn’t rate Bellerin and Jenkinson at all, or he’s looking to groom Chambers into a CB?
I would say the chances of nurturing him as a CB are pretty strong, equally if this is to be our CB cover, I can’t see us letting Vermaelen go either this summer, rather on a free at the end of his contract. I’m part enthused that we might have a new bright talent, part petrified that if he is going to our reserve CB option, we are putting it in very young inexperienced hands. Logically, he is going to be given time, like the other young big money purchases were (Walcott and Ramsey spring to mind) let’s hope so,… Read more »
Chambers a done deal @10m pounds? Can’t say I’ve seen the lad play
I can only hope no defenders (Jenk or Bellerin) are leaving if this Chambers stuff is true. Otherwise it will represent a monumental waste of time and money for someone who does not represent an upgrade on our current options when we should be securing someone to address a deficiency in the squad such as a defensive midfielder
Calum Chambers and Jenks. Both capable of playing CB and RB, positions currently hammered down by solid internationals. Lets not forget there are some very promising defenders behind the two vying for a place in the first team. There is more than just a bit of fire being lit under everyone ass. That’s the kind of environment that produces world class players. And just look at the market these days for defenders. There are just not enough world class defenders to go around. I think this is (or will be once its confirmed) a very smart signing.
Jenkinson at CB will be very risky.
Chambers is relatively young and untried particularly at CL. Converting to Cback is possible but we should havemore experience. someone at 23-25 with a bit more height in case Metersecker gets a knock is preferable.
At RB Bellerin is more promising than Chanbers IMO. jenkinson should be afforded at least an extra season to step up on account of his age.
So Chambers for 16m sounds extremely expensive.
I’m pretty sure he captained the England U-19 at CB. Might be wrong on that though.
Crap. Replied to the wrong comment. Sorry.
Someone on here has posten over and over again that we would sign. Chambers. Cant remember who it was but well Dom
Done Not Dom. Stoopid ipad
I love Fabianski. But Ospina is even more class than Lukasz….better watch out now Woj! Your spot is in serious danger…
I will miss Lukasz but will always remember him for the FA Cup final. I’m absolutely loving all the optimism on this page and just generally from all Gooners. Long may it continue!
Still in moist mode
Done and dusted this one some time back.
Ospina is a reaction keeper where Szsc has been better at crosses.
Some of Ospina’s stops have been fantastic to watch. he is a quick reaction player like Casillas was in his better days
And at 25, he isn’t just going to sit on the bench, they are going to push each other.