Arsenal keeper Petr Cech, following yesterday’s kinda-sorta win versus Chelsea in the International Champions Cup match in Dublin, admitted that he’s unsure where he stands in the eyes of new coach Unai Emery, in terms of whether or not he’ll be the club’s starting keeper in their first league match of the season in ten days’ time versus Manchester City:
“We still have games to play. Obviously for every player you do your best, then the manager has his choice to make. I have not been given any assurances.”
Arsenal, as you know, bought Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno this summer in a deal that left many seasoned Bundesliga observers wondering what it was that the club saw in the German international. Cech did little last season, though, to convince everyone he should be the guy going forward, and one of the traits that Leno’s been lauded for in the past is his ability on the ball:
Čech, Sokratis, Kolašinac. It just invites pressure.
— Lewis (@LGAmbrose) August 1, 2018
It’s looking likely that David Ospina’s time at the club is coming to a close inshallah, and with Matt Macey leaving this season on loan to Plymouth Argyle that leaves Cech, Leno, and Emi Martinez as the three keepers. Given that Emi is no doubt the third-choice of that bunch, the only question left to be answered is how Emery ultimately ranks the old guard and the new kid. We’ll start to know more following this weekend’s friendly versus Lazio, leading up to the kickoff to the new league season.