Pepe Reina
Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina revealed through his new autobiography that Arsenal were ready to sign him for £20 million, but the move was blocked by the former Liverpool owners.
Reina said that the Gunners tried to sign him in 2010, and that he wanted the move to the Emirates Stadium (passage from book obtained from Daily Mail):
“Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.
“When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave. The reason I was given was quite different – and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.”
Apparently, Reina asked Liverpool to talk with Arsene Wenger about a potential move to Arsenal, but Liverpool did not want to sell him because they were in the process of selling the club. It makes me wonder what would have been different about last season if Reina had joined in the summer of 2010.
Remember that Reina did make that error that allowed us to escape Anfield with a point in the first Premier League match last season. But the Spanish keeper is world class and certainly would have helped Arsenal last year.
With the emergence of Wojceich Szczesny, Arsene Wenger will (hopefully) not need to buy another keeper for a long time. People will point to Kyle Walker’s winning goal, which Szczesny should have saved. But supporters, writers, and pundits who have been watching Arsenal all season know that Szczesny is emerging as a top young keeper.
If Reina had been brought in, then Szczesny would not have received his chance. On the other hand, we may have won the Premier League, and/or won the Carling Cup, and/or advanced past Barcelona in the Champions League. But no keeper would be able to withstand the terrible displays from the back four so far this season. A wide open defence conceded eight against United, and Szczesny was not at fault for that, nor was he at fault for the two own goals against Blackburn. Not even Pepe Reina would have been able to prevent those two defeats.
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