da bet7：
da betway： Manchester City are sitting on a valuable commodity in Shay Given. Arsenal are in desperate need of a quality goalkeeper. Manchester United have Edwin Van der Sar as first choice, but he is almost certainly in his last year as a player as he turned 40 yesterday. Both clubs can afford to pay for Given’s services, the only stumbling block is whether they can convince the Eastlands hierarchy to sell to their rivals.
Arsenal are one of the best run clubs in the league; this is partly down to their transfer policy in predominantly younger players, but it is a policy that should be ignored in their pursuit of a goalkeeper that could transform their team. Manchester United have debts as a result of the Glazers’ interests, but we should not be naïve in thinking that they cannot afford to make such a purchase.
In my opinion, Arsenal’s need for a new keeper is far greater than United’s. Van der Sar may be old, but he is still top draw, and is up to the challenge of the season ahead. As well as this, Tomasz Kuszczak is decent, not great, but a suitable back-up. He is a better goalkeeper than anything Arsenal can come up with at the moment, but he is not good enough to be Man Utd’s long-term successor to the Dutchman’s position.
For Arsenal, the situation is becoming more and more of a problem. The quality of the football being played at The Emirates becomes irrelevant if there is no confidence in the ability of their keeper. There are new defenders in their back four, and they need someone with experience, authority and exceptional communication to ease them into the Premier League.
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Given is 34, and so no blossoming talent, but would have at least three years at his peak, if not more. David James, Brad Friedel and Van der Sar himself are examples of how long goalkeepers can continue to play at the upper echelons, as long as they have the fitness and commitment; both qualities that Given possesses. The age he is would also mean that the transfer fee wouldn’t have to be exorbitant, if that was an issue in the first place.
This is all somewhat irrelevant however. Most know that the likes of Almunia, Fabianski and Kuszczak are not good enough to play for their respective clubs, that is not the issue. Somehow, the clubs in need will have to convince City to part with their reserve. They already have the best goalkeeping talent this country has produced in a very long time (a bit superlative I know, but he could genuinely be England’s goalkeeper for the next ten years), and so preventing Given from playing smacks a bit of unadulterated greed. What may change the situation is the man himself.
Given has already claimed he is prepared to leave, and he is fully entitled to. At this stage in his career, he cannot afford to give away six months or a year to the substitutes bench. If he dug his heels in and reverted to (for want of a far better word/term) ‘player power’, telling his employers of his desire to leave, his wishes would probably be granted. Given is worth any amount of money Arsenal are willing to pay, and they should do all they possibly can to convince City to agree to do business. He has the potential to be integral to any team he plays for, Wenger should make Arsenal that team.
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