Football - Possible Winter Transfers of 20 Players (Part 6)
Shay Given (Present Club - Manchester City):
Shay Given has been one of the most consistent performers in the English Premier League during the last decade. The Irish shot stopper was signed by Mark Hughes for Manchester City and he had a decent season with the Citizens. But, the emergence of Joe Hart
has relegated him to the bench.
The Citizens’ new Italian manager has therefore approved that Shay Given can leave the club in the upcoming winter transfer window. There are rumours of Given joining his former club, Newcastle United. Apart from this, he is also being linked to Milan, Juventus
and Arsenal.
The former Newcastle man remained the number one goalkeeper at East lands last season where his outstanding performances made him appear thirty times for the Citizens.
Given's fall from being the first choice keeper at Citizens has been meteoric to say the least. Last season, the Irish International was made the skipper of Manchester City. Along with this, the club’s Italian manager, Robert Mancini, had also labelled him
as the best goalkeeper in the world.
The 34-year-old was expected to start back from where he had left off as he returned from injury at the start of this season. These expectations were valid after Given’s deputy, Joe, had spent the entire World Cup as a substitute.
The backlash against English goalkeepers, which had led to a disastrous tournament for the Three Lions, forced the English team manager, Fabio Capello to come out and start building for the future almost immediately. And so, it was the young Joe Hart, who
was able to acquire a starting spot being the goalie for England.
From then on, Mancini rowed in behind his fellow countrymen as well as Capello in declaring that Hart should be Citizens' first choice goalkeeper for the start of the season, leaving Shay essentially in no-man's land.
On top of it, Hart’s impressive performance against Spurs further ensured his place in the starting eleven at the East Lands. The 22-year-old goalie managed to keep the clean sheet in that fixture and was also the Man of the Match. Hart’s impressive form
also made sure that now Given would either have to endure a season on the bench or else look for a transfer.
But, Manchester City’s boss urged Shay to stay until winter at the least when the club would be able to bring in another keeper as a back-up to Hart. Shay Given agreed to it but only if a bid for him didn’t arrive.
While all and sundry waited Arsene Wenger to bid for Given, not even a single bid came and in the end, last decade’s best shot stopper was to find himself on the bench.
Meanwhile, when it comes to which club is in utmost need of a classy shot stopper and therefore should sign Shay Given? Without a doubt, Arsenal is one of those sides who should sign him.
But, nobody knows why ‘The Professor’ didn’t even bid for Given during the summers despite the fact that Shay is far better than anything that Arsenal have on their books at the moment. Shay’s addition to the Arsenal squad would have boosted Gunners to challenge
the title.
Gunners’ veteran shot stopper, Manuel Almunia, was already under fire for the entire last season due to his bad performances. So, Shay’s addition to their inexperienced squad would definitely ensure stability and strength for them.
Bidding for Shay Given is a no-brainer for Arsenal but considering that they have managed to land only a single first choice keeper in 14 years at the Emirates, one has to wonder.
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