Arsenal have almost forgotten the woes they had to endure until a few years back owing to their dearth of quality options under the bar. Following the departure of Jens Lehmann from the Emirates during the major exodus of star players that the club underwent following their invincible era, Arsene Wenger has failed to bring in any quality replacements for the German international.
The North London club had to spend a major chunk of the last decade having the likes of Manuel Almunia, Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski. Wenger had to see the side endure some heavy defeats against the top sides in the Premier League owing to that until the position got some stability with the arrival of Petr Cech.
The former Czech international has been like a guardian overseeing the squad from the back, and Arsenal’s defence has improved a lot owing to his hugely experienced eyes. Wenger even had the luxury of playing three different goalies in each of the tournament- Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup- in the initial stages of the last season.
And to Wenger’s luck, all three have been shown grit in their positions. However, it seems that might finally come to end with second-choice David Ospina likely to leave the Emirates for first team action and Szczesny being a major target for Serie A giants Juventus. With both of them leaving, Wenger would need to bring in someone who could not only take the second-choice position for now but also take 35-year-old’s Cech place in a few years’ time.
If reports are to be believed, then the Arsenal manager might have finally got such an option in Ligue 1-star Alban Lafont. The FC Toulouse goalie has been the subject of immense speculation this summer following his mature and assuring displays at just 18 years of age.
Lafont came into the limelight when he made his debut as a mere 16-year-old for the side, back in 2015. And he didn’t let his nascent age affect the start of his professional career. He played 24 games for the Ligue 1 side in 2015, conceding only 27 goals. His impressive displays earned him a full season last term, where he played 36 times and conceded only 41 goals. In his 60 Ligue 1 appearances so far, he has conceded only 62 goals.
He had made his debut for France’s Under-20 back in March this year and has already earned three caps. While he definitely looks like a potential replacement for Cech in the long run, Wenger also has reportedly set his sights on Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier and would be weighing his options.
