Casillas to Cech: Goalkeeper Carousel

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  • Question marks still remain over the future of Manchester United keeper David de Gea.

    The main headlines in any transfer window are dominated by attacking players, with clubs routinely spending the biggest sums on those men likely to get their name on the score sheet on a regular basis. Yet from the outset, this summer has been somewhat different as clubs across Europe shift their focus towards the other end of the pitch.

    Manchester United invested heavily to rebuild their midfield with the additions of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, before bringing in Matteo Darmian to solve a major problem in defence. Perhaps the biggest story at Old Trafford concerns a deal they did not make however, with the future of David De Gea becoming a major talking point before the 2014/15 season had even drawn to a close.

    Real Madrid made their interest in the Spanish goalkeeper abundantly clear, with the fact the 24-year-old is only under contract with the Premier League side until next June beginning to cause concern for the club’s hierarchy. “I want him to stay,” Louis van Gaal said of the situation back in April, the coach admitting Manchester United had offered De Gea “a lot of money” in a new deal which currently remains unsigned.

    Despite not committing to either staying in England or returning to his homeland, the speculation surrounding the former Atletico Madrid stopper had little effect on the future of the man whose gloves he appears destined to fill for both club and country. Clearly unhappy with how he was being treated at the Bernabeu, Iker Casillas called time on love affair which last over a quarter of a century. Having represented Real Madrid at every level after joining back in 1990, he became the club captain following the similarly jarring departure of fellow club legend Raul.

    The 34-year-old gave an emotional and tearful farewell speech, but ultimately has moved on to a new adventure with FC Porto, which in turn sent Brazilian shot-stopper Fabiano to Turkish side Fenerbahce on a season-long loan. That move is indicative of a goalkeeping carousel which has spun all across Europe this summer, with a number of high-profile stars making surprising moves and leaving the future of others shrouded in doubt.

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    Perhaps nowhere has that been more prevalent than in Italy, where Pepe Reina left Bayern Munich for Napoli just twelve months after going in the opposite direction. Always destined to be a reserve given the presence of German international Manuel Neuer at the Allianz Arena, the former Liverpool man made just two appearances for the Bavarian giants, saying he was “honoured” to return to the Stadio San Paolo.

    He is joined there by Milan’s Gabriel, who chose to move on loan to the Partenopei rather than remain with newly promoted Carpi where he excelled on 2014-15. The Emilia-Romagna based minnows have replaced him with Serbian international Zeljko Brkic, while Napoli’s new arrivals have in turn seen Luigi Sepe head to Fiorentina. 

    Neto (L) and Marco Storari (R).

    The Viola were in search of a new No.1 after Neto’s decision to join reigning champions Juventus, where he will now be the understudy to Gigi Buffon. That allowed veteran Marco Storari – who featured in every game for the Bianconeri in last season’s triumphant Coppa Italia run – to move to relegated Cagliari, where he will certainly receive more playing time than he did in Turin over the past five years.

    One goalkeeper who has opted not to move this summer is Samir Handanović, the Slovenia international agreeing a new four-year deal with Inter after months of transfer talk linked him with almost every big club in Europe. Clearly happy with the improving situation in the black and blue half of Milan, his decision has allowed youngster Francesco Bardi to once again seek out experience, this time taking a year-long loan with La Liga side Espanyol.

    AS Roma ended their search for a new goalkeeper earlier this week, signing Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny on loan with the option of a permanent deal next summer should the Poland stopper impress in the Italian capital. His switch comes as a result of a similar game of musical chairs being played in England, with Chelsea veteran Petr Cech’s arrival at The Emirates prompting Szczesny’s decision to move on.

    Having been forced into a backup role following the continued emergence of Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois, Cech ended an 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge and his switch is seen by many as a potential catalyst for a title push from his new club. Taking his place on the Blues’ bench will be Asmir Begović, fresh from a hugely impressive campaign with Stoke City, who will now look to Ireland’s Shay Given to keep visitors to the Britannia Stadium at bay.

    One switch which has yet to reveal its ramifications is Kevin Trapp’s move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Paris Saint-Germain, a deal which leaves the future of Italian international Salvatore Sirigu open to speculation. He has already been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma. Meanwhile, going in the opposite direction to Szczesny is Sampdoria’s Argentinean international Sergio Romero who has landed at Old Trafford, and those two moves could see De Gea and Sirigu take their turn on European football’s goalkeeping carousel before too long.

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