Surely this would be the icing on the cake for Arsenal if they manage to get this player, there are rumors floating around Arsenal that the club has already lined up a potential replacement for the aging Petr Cech in the form of Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak. However, the Gunners will face heavy competition from their Premier League rivals Liverpool who are also desperate for a new starlet between the posts.
This summer transfer window has been a very productive one for Arsenal despite losing Chilean star forward Alexis Sanchez to fierce Premier League rivals Manchester United but in exchange for the 28-year-old attacker, they gained a high-quality midfielder in Henrikh Mkhitaryan. And the world knows the way how Arsene Wenger can use these midfielders to the best of their ability.
In addition to signing the Armenian international, the North-London outfit also signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for a record fee of £56 million to bolster their attacking department. And with Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin leaving the Emirates after being deemed as surplus, Arsene Wenger can now finally look to solve his defensive problems between the sticks.
Liverpool too, have been amazing to watch while going forward, but their real problem lies in the defensive third where they are left to open on several occasions. Belgian international Simon Mignolet has been at the Merseyside club for five years but has failed to impress the Anfield faithful with his efforts since arriving from Sunderland.
When manager Jurgen Klopp arrived at Anfield, he signed Loris Karius from Bundesliga outfit Mainz but the German shot-stopper hasn’t been convincing enough after recently taking over as first choice keeper from Mignolet.
Therefore, Atleti’s Jan Oblak is one of the most eyed prospects in Europe at the moment. The 25 year old Slovenian has been astonishing since arriving at the La Liga side for a fee of €16 million, making him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time in 2014. Oblak won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best keeper twice in a row, an award for conceding the least number of goals to games ratio in the Spanish League, in the 2015-16 season, Oblak created an all-time record low of conceding just 18 goals.
Oblak has made 96 appearances in the league for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and was an instrumental figure in between the posts for the Madrid side as they reached the Champions League final two seasons ago, although lost out to eventual winners and neighbors Real Madrid.
Petr Cech is now 35 years of age and has been conceding mistakes on several occasions for the Gunners, most recently his error against Swansea which cost Arsenal the game and three crucial points. However, Oblak could join Arsenal over the summer mainly if Wenger qualifies his side to the Champions League spot next season.
The north-Londoners will face a battle against the Reds as Klopp has also expressed an interest in the Madrid shot-stopper. Oblak will definitely be the first choice keeper wherever he plays his football next season, but the question to be asked is, where will Oblak land up next summer.
