Transfer Rumours - Игорь Акинфеев

All this talk about Scott Carson being tracked by Arsenal has really irritated me.

Readers... there is a fundamental problem with Carson.

He is English.

For perspective consider this. Jens Lehmann cost Arsenal FC a grand total of £1.25m. And Jens Lehmann was best keeper in the world last year proven by an array of plaudits and achievements that include but are not exclusive to being Uefa Goalkeeper of 2005-2006 as well as a playing in a CL Final and a World Cup Semi Final.
All for £1.25m.

Don't for a second believe that Scott Carson's left ankle would cost any less than £2m. And the rest of him another £5-8m. Because he is English.

For background, Carson is apparently not good enough for the Liverpool first team at the moment... and is not a certainty for a country with no standout keeper... or some would argue ... even a decent keeper.

And yet there are some who believe that Arsene Wenger would all of the sudden lose his marbles and put in a bid for Carson.

Let's examine Arsene Wenger for a second. In his 10 years at the club, Arsene Wenger has only had to buy a starting keeper but once. And few would argue that the transition from the sure hands of David Seaman to Jens Lehmann has not been a success, if a success too often filled with humour, incident and unintended excitement. Compare this to the cast of characters that Slur Alex Ferguson has employed in a seemingly vain attempt to replace his Great Dane and one must consider Arsene Wenger to have done rather well.

So why would he replace our legendary German with a Liverpool cast off who is not yet good enough to start for England? A man who beat Manchester United in an FA Cup Final by robbing Paul Scholes... who cast Riquelme into imfamy and Arsenal into the CL Final with another HUGE penalty save... etc etc...

Short answer.

He wouldn't.

I do concede that Wenger would likely prefer to purchase a younger keeper than the 33 Lehmann was when he bought him in order to match age more closely with the next team nucleus of Cesc, Senderos, Clichy, Van Persie, Walcott, Denilson, Diaby (et al). But that keeper is not Carson. He has neither the talent nor the stature to fill in where Seaman and Lehmann have one stood.

Others?

Some may make a case for Almunia being a reasonable choice for the next keeper of the club and I have some sympathy for that point of view. But I feel that Lehmann's departure will also surely cause Wenger to bring in another keeper from outside as Poom is not a long term answer and Mannone simply unproven at Arsenal level.

And that keeper is the next Lee Yashin.

A keeper who has won the Uefa Cup (in 2005) for an obscure European club.

A keeper with plenty of Champions League experience including being in the sticks for the most frustrating match in Arsenal history (in what Arsenal.com calls a 0-0 thrashing)

Oh.. and one who is only 20... yes... 20 (!!!!!)

His name (unless you read Russian) is Igor Akinfeev. And he will be the next great Arsenal keeper.

You read it here first.