The news has come throught today that the Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is now eligible to own a British Passport, after completing the five years of being a resident here neccessary to earn the right. But is he good enough to be given the Number One jersey for England?
Arsene Wenger thinks so.
Almunia took over from Jens Lehmann when he moved back to Germany, and after a string of fine performances for his Arsenal side, Wenger said: “I could only advise you to take advantage of it and call him up for the England squad,”
The strange thing is that, being Spanish, he has never once been considered good enough to be called up to the all-conquering Spain team, and Almunia himself said that he would have to consider the possibility of playing for England if Fabio Capello came calling. He was quoted as saying: “At the moment, I don’t have many options to play for Spain,”
“Spain have never, never called me. And, if other people want me, I have to study my situation. I will not close [the door] to anything.”
“I would study my situation in that case, and I would be very pleased to take a decision that would make me happy and my family happy.”
So it would seem that the ball is now in Capello’s court, and even if he picked him for the squad, he would then have to decide whether he was better than the keepers already in place.
David James is back in pole position for Capello, but injuries affect him now and again, which could let the youngsters Robert Green, Scott Carson and Ben Foster get a chance for an extended run in the team.
Foster is undoubtedly a good goalkeeper, but with Van Der Sar at Man Utd for one more season, he will not much first-team action in the run-up to the World Cup Finals. Robert Green is guaranteed to be first choice at West Ham, but is he experienced enough to take the mantle.
Scott Carson had been tipped as a future England Number One until his disastrous error which let Croatia knock England out of the Euro2008 competition.
The one advantage these keepers have over Almunia is their age. The Arsenal keeper is now 32, and although they say that goalkeepers mature with age, is it too late to assimilate him into the England set-up?
The over-riding factor will be if the English fans will be willing to see a foreigner in the England team. Accepting a foreign manager was a big enough step, but to start letting foreigners into the squad may be a step too far.
Other countries are known to have many taken advantage of the rule, but surely England should be above all that?
What do England fans think?
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Too right he should! We need to take advantage of good players where ever possible, and he is head and shoulders above any of the other gaolkeepers!!
yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh