Arsenal Scouts In Belgium, Highly-Rated Goalkeeper offered Huge Deal
Dec 21, 2016 at 4:34 PM
With the January transfer window now just around the corner, Premier League clubs will be stepping up their efforts to strengthen their squads for the second half of the campaign.
And Arsenal are no different, as a report in the Daily Mail claims they have sent scouts over to Belgium to keep an eye on the progress of Standard Liege goalkeeper Guillaume Hubert.
As it stands, the goalkeeping position is not one that the Gunners require doing much work in, with Petr Cech and David Ospina their first two custodians.
However, the report believes that Wenger has identified the 22-year-old as a possible replacement for his veteran number one.
Reps from the north London side were in attendance for Standard’s 2-2 draw with Gent at the weekend, a game that marked the sixth time Gunners scouts had him watched.
It is believed that the scouts feel the player is ready to make the step up to a bigger league and more competitive standard of football, which could hint that Arsene Wenger may make a move for his services in the near future.
However, Arsenal aren’t the only side tracking him, with the report claiming that the likes of Liverpool, Swansea and Leicester City have all been keeping tabs on him.
He isn’t a complete stranger to English football either, having had trials with Stoke as a youngster.
Standing at an imposing 6’2, he has already won a number of caps with the Belgian under-21 team, with many not believing that he is on the verge of a call-up to Roberto Martinez’s senior side.
Arsene Wenger may not need to bolster his goalkeeping options at this very moment, but it is clearly something that is on his mind.
With Petr Cech now 34, the clock is ticking on his career, while David Ospina is still making noises about leaving the club.
Furthermore, Wenger still has the small matter of resolving Wojciech Szczesny’s future, as he is still officially their player despite spending the past two seasons on loan at Roma.
Fans will no doubt be more concerned about other areas of the squad being dealt with before getting someone new in between the sticks, but Wenger is proving that he is still looking out for the future of the club.