Chelsea eye Igor Akinfeev after rumors of Petr Cech moving to Zenit
Zenit St. Petersburg are apparently planning to line up a move for Chelsea first choice keeper Petr Cech, sources revealed. The Blues are also reportedly looking for a quality goal keeper if Cech chooses to leave; their stopper of choice is CSKA Moskva’s
Igor Akinfeev. The 24 year old has been in excellent form and has seemingly caught the attention of Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti as a possible replacement for the 28 year old Czech international.
The young Akinfeev is already thought to be one of the best goal keepers in Europe, which is why it comes as no surprise that the Blues are determined to sign him. The 24 year old CSKA Moskva keeper made his debut in the Russian national team when he was
only 18 and since then has become a regular in the team. Even though older keepers are considered better since they are more experienced, Akinfeev looks to be an exception to the rule.
Akinfeev has gained recognition because of his excellent command in the box. He possesses great self confidence, which comes in handy when confronted with one-on-one situations. He has displayed amazing instincts and is outstanding in the air. In the case
of Petr Cech moving on, which seems unlikely, Akinfeev would be Chelsea’s best bid to maintain a similar form at the back, to what they currently have because of the Czech international.
Recently Zenit have been linked with a host of high profile goal keepers, which goes to confirm the rumors that a switch of Europe’s top goal keeper’s may very well be underway. So far Zenit have been linked with Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus Turin goal
keeper. Even though their current goal keeper, Vyacheslay Malafeev has been average this season, Zenit seem to have run out of patience with him and are confident a change in keeper will improve their form.
The poor form of a team can easily be blamed on the goal keeper, but most of the time that is not the case. Take Chelsea for example, they have recently had a run of poor performances, which saw the defending champions lose their lead at the top of the English
Premier League. It would be easiest to blame Petr Cech, but after observing their game that is not the case. It is actually the back four and the midfield, which has failed to perform. It would be best for the Blues to stick to Petr Cech; he has arguably been
the best player for Chelsea.
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