According to 61Saat, Arsenal are among the clubs monitoring the progress of Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir. The Turk has impressed the onlookers with his performances in the Europa League as well as in the Turkish Super Lig. As a result, a host of clubs across Europe, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are interested in his services.
Cakir’s success at Trabzonspor
Cakir has been a part of the Trabzonspor side since 2012. But, it wasn’t until the 2018/19 campaign that the keeper made his breakthrough into professional football. He benefitted from the Onur Kivrak incident that saw the veteran goalkeeper retire from football.
As a result, Cakir became the first-choice keeper for Trabzonspor. The 23-year-old made 20 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig last season, conceding just 23 goals and keeping five clean sheets. His contributions in between the sticks helped his club achieve a top-four finish in the league.
Cakir has been able to maintain his consistency in this new campaign, even though he is yet to keep a single clean sheet so far. He has conceded only nine goals in seven matches, helping Trabzonspor maintain their third-place status in the league table.
Do Arsenal need a new keeper?
It’s no secret that Unai Emery is not the biggest fan of Bernd Leno – the current Arsenal number one. However, the German has performed rather well in between the sticks for the Gunners so far this campaign. The main reason why they have conceded so many goals is due to the futility of their centre-backs.
Arsenal still need to invest a lot of money into their defensive department, preferably in central defence. And with that in mind, signing another goalkeeper may not be the best of ideas.
Besides, they have Emiliano Martinez as their second choice ‘keeper. The Argentine has done quite well in the Cup games this season and deserves a promotion, following the retirement of Petr Cech.
However, one thing is for sure – Arsenal will need a goalkeeper in the future. And keeping that in mind, they should continue to monitor the development of Cakir, who has the quality as well as the potential to become a top-class ‘keeper.
