The Reina stories come from his camp
877 comments August 7th, 2010
There’s a few stories floating around the web today about a possible bid for Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. It started with The Sun claiming we’ve bid £23m and are prepared to go as high as £25m. Rory Smith of the Telegraph has since suggested that Arsenal have had two bids rejected.
I must confess I happen to know a little about this situation. It is 100% true that Reina himself is very keen on a move to London, and Arsenal. However, whilst the club are doubtless aware of his abilities – he is an outstanding goalkeeper – I don’t think we’d be interested at such a huge price. I doubt Arsene will ever spend £23m on any player, let alone a goalkeeper.
The inference is that these stories are emanating from the player’s camp. Reina wants out of Liverpool and back in to the Champions League, and his people are hoping to use this story to spark some legitimate interest. At that fee, it’s never going to happen.
In the unlikely event that he does sign, it’ll be interesting to see what reception he’d get after these scenes. Yesterday I argued that there wasn’t necessarily a need for Cesc Fabregas to make a statement on his Arsenal future. My record as jinxer extraordinaire continued as he promptly released this. It is as honest as you’d expect – a statement, you might say, of the obvious. I tend to agree with Goodplaya’s excellent analysis. Whilst I don’t doubt Cesc’s commitment on the pitch, I wonder if there might be new and unwelcome factors tugging at his subconscious. Try though he might, a sense of anticlimax and disappointment is inevitable and unavoidable.
Cesc won’t be available today as we play Legia Warsaw at 4pm UK-time. You can catch the game on ATVO. Whilst Fabianski looks certain to start in goal on his return to his former club, it’ll be interesting to see who Arsene names alongside Thomas Vermaelen at centre-half. The battle between Djourou and Koscielny to start an Anfield is a tight one. Unfortunately, it’s tight for the wrong reasons: neither is a convincing, stand-out option.
On that cheerful note, it’s goodbye from me.
