Arsenal have previously expressed their interests towards Atletico Madrid goalkeeper, Jan Oblak and the La Liga side are fearing for the worst. Oblak’s current contract holds a release clause of £88m and in the present world of £100m transfers, anything is possible.
Whether Arsenal will be ready to break their transfer record for a shot-stopper cannot be guaranteed upon. Petr Cech’s inconsistencies have been a cause for concern among the Arsenal faithful but extinguishing all their resources for Oblak might come as a shock to many.
Yes, Cech has endured a rough season in a Gunners jersey but then again, so has the rest of the team. Almost every player could be held accountable for their incompetence including Arsene Wenger himself.
Their defence has been far from impressive and currently holds the worst record amongst the top six of the Premier League. The manager has struggled to implement a solid structure which has resulted in the club finishing outside of the Champions League qualification spots, not to mention the embarrassing 4-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup knockout stage.
Their League Cup final appearance was also woeful and plans need to be set up for future improvements. While Cech is facing the last leg of his playing career, it would be wise for Wenger to allocate his financial resources towards the necessary requirements – like a top-pedigree defender and a winger.
Both the clubs are competing for the final Europa League trophy. Returning to the Champions League is one of their biggest agendas and Madrid might not agree to sell one of their best defensive figures. Oblak has worked his way to the first team and has impressed time and time again. He is held in high regards by Diego Simeone, which will play a factor in his decision to leave the Wanda Metropolitano.
But that is worrying factor about release clauses – once the terms are met it is very hard to stop the transfer from materialising, especially when the other team are cash-stacked and ready to offer more.
Oblak is a big name in Europe with a lot of credible games under his belt. The two-time Champions League finalist has racked up 86 clean sheets in 149 games with Atletico. By goalkeeping standards that is remarkable especially for a side who has competed against elite sides all over the continent.
The Slovakia international will sell a lot of tickets in the early days of the season but the team might not improve without an enforcer on the outfield.
