Arsenal in ‘£23m bid for Liverpool goalkeeper’
English Premier League (EPL) title hopefuls Arsenal are said to be preparing a £23m bid for Liverpool goalkeeper José Manuel (‘Pepe’) Reina.
Arsenal’s current goalkeepers Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski have both been guilty of making high-profile mistakes over the last few seasons and manager Arsene Wenger has been keen to recruit a top-class goalkeeper in his bid for EPL glory this season. He had long been interested in Mark Schwarzer of Fulham, but after a move for that player failed to materialise, The Sun has reported that he has turned his sights on Reina.
Long-term contract
The 27-year-old Reina signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool back in April, and with Reds manager Roy Hodgson saying that he doesn't want any of his big players to move on this summer, Arsenal’s bid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner may prove to be fruitless.
Reina started out his career with Barcelona and progressed through the Catalan giants’ youth ranks before going on to make 30 appearances for the club. With first-team opportunities proving difficult to come by, the goalkeeper joined Villareal in a bid to receive more game time. During his three years with the La Liga club, he played 147 games in total and attracted the attention of then Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.
Record-beating player
Reina moved to Merseyside in 2005 and quickly established himself as the Anfield club’s first-choice goalkeeper. He helped the club win the UEFA Super Cup soon after joining, as well as the FA Cup at the end of the season, and the FA Community Shield at the start of the 2006-07 campaign. Reina also became the quickest goalkeeper in Liverpool history to have kept 50 clean sheets in the league after his 92nd game, beating the previous record by three matches. In the 2009-10 season, he managed to keep 17 clean sheets after playing in all of Liverpool’s 38 league games.
At international level, Reina has won the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship with Spain as well as the World Cup – despite not playing a game in South Africa.
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