Arsenal have been approached by Ajax who have enquired about the availability of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, according to reports.
Talks are in the opening stages at the moment, as Gunners legend and current director of football at Ajax, Marc Overmars, is looking to solve the situation surrounding Szczesny’s place with Arsenal.
The Pole has been hit with the challenge of overcoming two other top goalkeepers to be in with a chance of finding his position again, which simply doesn’t look realistic at this moment.
However, as well as having Dennis Bergkamp currently working as their assistant manager, Ajax can offer a package that will cover both financial and playing time concerns.
The 25-year-old is on the top of the Dutch clubs transfer targets, as they prepare to lose their current number 1 to Manchester United this summer.
Louis van Gaal’s United are currently in a transfer tug-of-war with Real Madrid over goalkeeper, David de Gea, who it seems is getting closer to a move back to his home country day by day.
The Red Devils have insisted their star man will not be heading to the Bernabeau, but it seems the lure of the Spanish giants could be enough to tempt De Gea to leave.
That means United are in the running for a new goalkeeper, and with Hugo Lloris suffering a fractured wrist, Van Gaal has turned his attention to 26-year-old Cillessen.
Whilst also standing as the Netherland’s first choice goalkeeper, Cillessen has been at Ajax since 2011, and it seems the club can’t convince him to avoid linking up with his former national manager.
Cillessen will be remembered for his impressive run of form during the 2014 World Cup, where he kept veteran goalkeeper, Tim Krul, on the bench for the tournament, something that is unheard of for a man of his age.
But now it seems Cillessen will link up with the 20-time Premier League champions, which leaves Ajax needing a goalkeeper capable of filling his gloves.
Step in to the ring, Wojciech Szczesny, who ticks all of the right boxes for the Dutch club, despite him suffering a series of average performances over recent seasons.
But it’s not his performances that might force Wenger to let go of his academy graduate, it’s the fact that he simply isn’t good enough for the Gunners anymore.
Arsenal fans were overjoyed with the £11million arrival of Petr Cech, who is expected to drop straight into the starting eleven following his move from Chelsea.
That’s all well and good, but if it wasn’t for the stellar season that Ospina encountered, Szczesny might still be in with a chance of being our back-up man.
Filling in during the second half of the season, Ospina was just one of the several standout performers who helped Arsenal finish third in the Premier League and qualify for Champions League football once again.
So with that settled, most Gunners will now begin to appreciate that Szczesny comes third in line to who gets the gloves, a status that will see him get little-to-no playing time with the senior squad.
With that being said, a move to Ajax would be more than welcome for both parties, with Wenger able to get him off of our wage books.
Szczesny would be playing regular high level football, and in return will be able to continue developing his game to once again compete for the Polish number 1 jersey, which was cruelly taken by Lukasz Fabianski midway through the 2014/15 season.
But hold on, a player like Szczesny who has stuck through all of the tough times with the Gunners, should we just cast him off like we’re done with him?
Sure, selling him would be good in terms of revenue, but three years down the line Cech will have come to an end of his peak years, and Szczesny would be back in contention to finish his career actively with the Gunners, which he has always stated was his intention.
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In that case, perhaps a two-season loan deal would be better for the Gunners, who could get their man away and continuing to play with top quality players.
Surely that would settle the matter at both ends, because Szczesny is still a player that is learning the best ways around a football pitch.
Yes, he does have the ability to learn that by staying and training with Ospina and Cech, but he simply won’t get a look-in when it comes to the starting eleven.
At Ajax he will once again be a goalkeeper in demand, and I think he’d rather be playing football in a 40,000 seater stadium than on a training pitch at London Colney.
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