With the next transfer window set to start at any minute, it’s time to wonder what tricks every team have in their bags and how much impact the new signings will make in the second half of the league.
Even if most of the headlines, rumours, and opinions are about the offensive players, several teams are also making a push to improve their defensive front as well.
So, having said that, it’s time to take a look at one of Arsenal’s main transfer targets, the Standard Liege goalkeeper Guillaume Hubert, and exactly who he is and why do they want it.
At first sight, it’s very difficult to wonder why on earth would Arsene Wenger add yet another goalkeeper to his team when he has Petr Cech and David Ospina, and if you point out the age of both, you’d still have the recently renewed Emiliano Martinez, plus the loanee Wojciech Szczesny.
So, you’d have to hope this guy Hubert to be an extremely talented player if he’s set to make a big move from a small club like Belgian side Standard Liege to a Premier League giant like Arsenal, and yes, he’s actually that good.
Hubert is a 22-year-old Belgian with an outstanding goalkeeper physique that resembles his compatriot Thibaut Courtois and the youngster has already managed to keep 13 clean sheets in over 33 appearances for a struggling Standard Liege side whose defence isn’t his best feature.
Even if Cech’s and Ospina’s days are practically numbered at the Etihad Stadium due to their age and their recent struggles, bringing this youngster to North London could be a very risky move for Arsene Wenger and his team.
And, even if some of his compatriots like the aforementioned Courtois and Simon Mignolet have found success in the Premier League, coping with that kind of pressure might be too much to handle for the young lad.
We can’t forget the case of two struggling great keepers who thrived on their former teams but now struggle to find consistency at England, as it has happened with Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo and Liverpool’s Loris Karius, so that’s a factor that can’t be overlooked when signing new goalkeepers.
Nevertheless, the youngster only has 6 months left on his contract, so they can tie him up as a bargain right now, as they could make him sign a pre-contract or just wait until the summer to sign him for free, although it would be kind of difficult to convince him that he’ll be the starting keeper for the Gunners with all that competition for the no 1 spot.