Manchester United will buy a goalkeeper in the summer, that much is clear. Who it will be is the question, but if we are to believe reports from Spain and other sources, United have had a bid accepted for the 20 year old Spaniard, David de Gea.
He has been nicknamed by his Athletico Madrid team mates as "van der gea" due to his resemblance to the current, and soon to retire Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der sar. He is tall, agile, commanding and holds the invaluable quality of being able to keep calm under pressure. It is these sorts of qualities that Sir Alex Ferguson desires to replace his current number 1 and avoid the repetition of the last goalkeeping 'crisis' when Peter Schmeichel left United.
The United manager would also be hopeful to avoid the situation that Arsenal have suffered over the past five years - lacking a commanding, regular, consistent goalkeeper. Arsenal have recently received good news on this front, with another United target Maarten Stekelenburg being quoted as saying: "If an offer from Arsenal arrives, I will leave."
So with David de Gea being reported as United's top target, it is time to have a look at what United fans should expect from him. 29 games this season has seen him keep 9 clean sheets while saving a total of 121 shots. Compared to van der sar, his statistics are not all to bad. The United goalkeeper has played 28, kept 12 clean sheets and made a total of 67 saves. I suggest the statistics are heavily effected by the quality of the defences, but they are interesting nevertheless. Watch highlights of De Gea below:
Manchester United missed Antonio Valencia. They missed his pace, his skill, his clever shimmies around defenders, his sumptuous crosses into dangerous areas and his priceless assists. Wayne Rooney more than most missed the Ecuadorians individual qualities and has had possibly the worst season of his career in the winger's absence.
So Valencia's return to first team action against Arsenal on Saturday was a rare plus point in Rooney's season. His first start since that horrible broken ankle against Rangers in the Champions League last September was welcomed with a rousing ovation at Old Trafford, highlighting his importance to the team and the clubs success. Rooney was delighted:
"I can't tell you how good it is to see him back out there. It was Antonio's first game back after six months out and he looked like he'd never been away. It's fantastic for him and fantastic for us to have him back and playing the way he did."
Valencia's return to action is even more convenient when you consider Nani's absence after the Jamie Carragher horror tackle which ripped open his shin. Valencia will now make his return to Champions League football at Old Trafford against Marseille on Tuesday as United hope to progress further in the competition at the stage which Arsenal recently slipped up at to Barcelona.
Rooney praised Edwin van der sar's superb contribution to the FA Cup tie against Arsenal on Saturday as well, claiming that him and the rest of the team have been attempting to persuade the Dutchman out of his decision to retire:
"The players are trying to persuade Edwin to stay on too. I was speaking to him in the shower afterwards but it is his decision and we have to respect it."
"He is such a great goalkeeper. Despite his age he is still the best keeper in the world."
This is a sentiment shared by so many United fans who remember the huge difficulty in replacing their last consistently brilliant goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. It will cost a large fee to replace van der sar now, especially considering the current transfer market climate - it is however, something that United will have to get used to; not seeing the great Dutchman guard the goal anymore.
Rooney's comments come after the News of The World claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to sell Rooney in the summer transfer window. The paper's source claims that, "relations between Rooney and Ferguson are so strained that it is affecting other players," adding that, "Sir Alex is not pleased with the way Rooney has been playing... Rooney has been moaning about the squad again but Sir Alex has told him he should look at himself before criticising others."
I really can't see this being the case. Despite a bad season in front of goal, United do still look a better team when Rooney is on the team sheet. Sir Alex Ferguson knows it; Rooney's goals last season emphasise his importance to the team, and there is no way Ferguson would jump to the conclusion that Rooney isn't good enough for this United side anymore. His passion and desire was on show for all to see at Old Trafford against Arsenal, summed up in the crunching but fair challenge on Bacary Sagna, met with massive cheers from the United fans, impressed by Rooney's impressive show of commitment to the cause.
Rene Meulensteen, the Manchester United first team coach has reportedly stated that the Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg is top of Sir Alex Ferguson's transfer target list for the summer as they look to replace the retiring Edwin van der sar.
United have been linked to several goalkeepers including David de Gea, Manuel Neur and even Liverpool's Pepe Reina, but according to Meulensteen, Stekelenburg is the priority:
"Stekelenburg is indeed a keeper who is at the top of our wanted list,"
"We naturally talk a lot among ourselves about who should replace Van der Sar. Alex Ferguson has spoken about Stekelenburg with Edwin, and that does not seem strange to me at all."
After having so much trouble in finding a replacement for Peter Schmeichel after he left United, Ferguson is understandably eager to sign a goalkeeper similar to his most recent successful buy, van der sar.
Stekelenburg and Van der Sar both began their career at Ajax - the club where Stekelenburg currently plays with around 186 appearances. During the 2006 World Cup, Stekelenburg was the understudy to Van der Sar while in the 2010 World Cup, Stekelenburg was the number one goalkeeper, and helped his country get to the final - conceding only five goals in the process. He did unfortunately end up on the losing side. They also both have a large frame - with Van der Sar standing at 6 foot 6 inches, while Stekelenburg stands at 6 foot five and a half.
Despite the signing of Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard, Ferguson is looking for a proven, top quality, goalkeeper with experience in big competitions such as the Champions League. He has a pool of talent to choose from, and he will certainly do his best to get his decision right as he tries to avoid a repeat of the last time their number one left.
Goalkeepers look set for moves in this January's transfer window for both Arsenal and Manchester United, with Almunia seemingly on his way out Arsenal, while German stopper, Rene Adler may be on his way to Manchester United as Ferguson prepares for life without Edwin van der sar.
Firstly, with Almunia. The 33 year-old Spaniard has fallen out of favour in the Arsenal team, and is now the third choice goalkeeper, with Wojciech Szczesny and Lukas Fabianski ahead of him in the pecking order. Galatasaray, Athletico Madrid and Malaga have all been rumoured to be interested in Almunia, and Wenger appears to admit that the former Arsenal number ones situation is far from secure, as when asked whether he will leave said:
"There is a small chance. Yes, I have had a chat with him, but nothing is decided. We are in no-man's land at the moment on that front."
After conceding three goals against West Brom in Arsenals 3 - 2 loss back in late September, Almunia has not played as much as he would have liked. A move away to a club that could guarantee him first team football, and a club that could put up with a few errors now and then, will be a team Almunia would jump a the chance of joining.
Arsenal's title rivals, Manchester United also have a goalkeeping situation on their hands as Edwin van der sar is set for retirement at the end of the season. Anders Lindegaard has already been signed, and Ben Amos has been sent on loan for experience, while Tomasz Kuszczak has more or less threatened to leave unless he is made the number one keeper. This is probably unlikely, and Sir Alex Ferguson knows that. He want a more experienced, top quality goalkeeper, and Rene Adler is reportedly on of the names on his shortlist.
Before the January transfe window, Fergusonclaimed he wouldn't be bringing any new faces to Old Trafford. He has now changed his mind, and said:
"I'd like to get one player in during the transfer window if I could."
25 year-old German goalkeeper Rene Adler has not been shy about expressing his love for Manchester United. He has a clause in his contract which states that if United are to bid £15 million, his current club, Bayer Leverkuen must let him go. Adler was a fan of United as a child, and Peter Schmeichel was his idol:
"I have told the Leverkusen board that I am not willing to discuss any new contract until April. The board of the club are aware of the special clause in my contract.
"As a kid, my friends were interested in cartoons, MTV and German TV programmes, but I was the only interested in one person - Peter Schmeichel - who was in goal for Manchester United."
"I thought he was fantastic and loved every minute he was on TV with United. My whole bedroom was full of Schmeichel posters and United things"
Who better to have at your club than a quality player that has dreamed of playing for your team as a child? There will be no question of his comitmn to the club, especially as he went to the trouble of creating the unusual get-out clause.
Ok, being the goalkeeper is like walking a tightrope, one bad move and your history... Just ask Richard Wright, Massimo Taibi, Sander Westerveld and Mark Bosnich who all managed to fall. I'm going to cover some of ones who managed to walk the tightrope with distinction... One thing I would like to make clear is that I will not be naming the likes of Gordon Banks, Lev Yashin or Dino Zoff as I can't say I've seen them play or seen enough footage to make a judgment, so we'll cover what is seen as the era of modern football.
Peter Schmeichel
Affectionately nicknamed the "Great Dane" by Manchester United fans, I don't think there has ever been a goalkeeper who dominated the penalty area more than Peter Schmeichel. He used his imposing 6ft 4in to its fullest and was known for his successes in one on one situations with opponents.
He was voted "Worlds Best Goalkeeper" in two successive years 1992 and 1993. He also won Euro 92 surprisingly with Denmark, 5 Premier League Titles, 3 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, 1 European Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League with Manchester United. He was an integral part of Manchester Uniteds successes during his time there pulling of countless saves.
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon
He made his Serie A debut at the age of 17. The first time I saw him was playing against Inter Milan and he saved a penalty taken by Ronaldo and it was clear at the age of 20 he was on his way to being a world class goalkeeper.
He holds the records for being the most expensive goalkeeper of all time after he made the move to Juventus from Parma for a whopping £32.6 million.
In 2003 he won the UEFA awards for Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper. That year he played in the Champions League Final and won Serie A with Juve.
In 2006 Buffon peaked and won the World Cup as first choice 'Keeper for Italy. Buffon only conceded two goals in the 7 matched Italy played on their way to glory. To cap it off for him he won the "Yashin Award" as the tournaments best goalkeeper.
Buffon is currently still playing but so far in his career he has been voted Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year 8 times, 4 Serie A titles, 2 Italian Super Cups, 1 World Cup and numerous individual awards recognising his status as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Jose Luis Chilavert
I bet you weren't expecting him to be named? The Paraguayan legend I feel should go down in history as the most attacking goalkeeper ever. He was at his best during a 10 year spell at Argentine club Velez Sarsfield. He played 341 league games for them and scored an amazing 48 goals. He also became the first goalkeeper to score a hatrick. He also won the Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League) and Intercontinental Cup both twice in 1994 and 1999.
Chilavert also played for Paraguay racking up 74 caps and grabbing 8 goals in the process. Chilavert wasn't only about his goalscoring exploits, he also won the IFFHS Goalkeeper of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 1998. He was also in the France 98 All Star Squad along side Fabien Barthez who was part of the French side that won the tournament. He also managed to keep 2 clean sheets in the four games Paraguay played. I like him as he was top goalkeeper but also a bit different with the attacking threat he posed...
Iker Casillas
Well what can I say about him? He is a product of the Real Madrid youth system and is one of the elite group of players who can say they have won every trophy major there is to win at club and international level.
Casillas made his Real Madrid debut at the age of 18 since then he has won 4 La Liga titles, 3 Spanish Super Cups, 2 Champions League Winners Medals, UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. For Spain he has also won the European Championship and World Cup and all this at the age of 29 and has racked up 116 caps so far and is currently Spain and Real Madrid captain. He could retire tomorrow and be recognised as one of the most successful goalkeepers of all time.
Even English goalkeeping legend Gordon Banks has pitched in with his opinion on Casillas saying "Casillas' reflexes are incredible. If he continues to play this well he will become one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the game." He has also received numerous individual awards recognising him as the best goalkeeper in the world including FIFA World Cup Golden Glove 2010 and IFFHS Best Goalkeeper 2008 and 2009. Enjoy the clip below showing how good Casillas actually is. (Disclaimer: this site doesn't justify or condone the "Europop" being played in the videos, please feel free to watch in mute...)
Edwin Van Der Sar
The second Manchester United related name in this article. He has been described as a the true heir to Peter Schmeichels throne by many at Old Trafford. He started his career at Ajax winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and numerous Eredivisie titles. This was a good start to his career good enough to be signed by Italian giants Juventus where he only spent one season and was forced to move on after Gigi Buffon was signed by the club.
Van Der Sar went on to play for Fulham for some strange reason, as there were a number of big European clubs after him. After 4 years at Fulhan winning no major trophies and gaining no recognition he moved to Manchester United who were still looking for a reliable replacement for Schmeichel and they found one in the Dutchman.
At Manchester United he has won 3 Premier League titles, 1 Champions League Winners Medal and 1 FIFA World Club Cup. More importantly for a goalkeeper he holds the European record for the longest time without conceding a goal he went 1,311 minutes without conceding, thats nearly 15 games without conceding.
He has been capped by Holland 130 times which makes him his countries most capped player and in the top 30 most capped players of all time. He might not be the best shot stopper in this list but his influence and his distribution are key to him being added to the list.
Conclusion
Well I'm sure everyone's got their opinions and feel free to leave them. But I really cant think of a keeper that's better and played to a high standard as long as the five mentioned above. After all this goalkeeping appreciation I'll leave you with a little treat below...
Manchester United struggled miserably to find a replacement for Peter Schmeichel when the Dane left in 1999, and now Sir Alex Ferguson must find a replacement for the Dutch Edwin van der sar as he seems set for retirement at the age of 40. Their new £3.5 million signing of Anders Lindegaard will hopefully be a shortcut to the the route of goalkeepers that Ferguson had to take when Schmeichel left as the 26-year-old has a medical today.
Ferguson will be hoping that Lindegaard is not another van der Gouw, Bosnich, Taibi, or Ricardo, but rather a strong and reliable goalkeeper, who can be the safety net behind the defenders. Someone who will not make mistakes consistently, but who will be a calm and steady influence that a young team needs. No doubt that Ferguson has seen this player play - unlike the Bebe signing.
Manchester United goalkeeping legend Schmeichel doesn't believe that Lindegaard is good enough for his former club however.
When asked whether his compatriot Lindegaard was of sufficient quality to play for England's biggest club, h replied
"No. We are talking about Manchester United here. You can look at talent, you can look at young good players, [but] you don't want that, you want someone who can go in straight away and give performances in 80% of the games that the number one choice goalkeeper will play for Manchester United.
"Too many goalkeepers have been through, in and out of the doors at Manchester United, and the general perception is, for this team to play well and win trophies, that position has to be [filled by] someone who is of the very, very highest quality but also the right experience."
Lindegaard won't be too pleased hearing this, as Schmeichel was the young Dane's boyhood hero. However, criticism of him should only want him to prove the critics wrong, and strive to become better. He has already uprooted the Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen as Danish number 1 after impressing at club level for Aalesunds, and will be hoping to do the same at United.
Manchester United will buy a goalkeeper in the summer, that much is clear. Who it will be is the question, but if we are to believe reports from Spain and other sources, United have had a bid accepted for the 20 year old Spaniard, David de Gea.
