It would be fair to say that Arsenal have been plagued with problems between the sticks over recent years and after finally finding an option in Wojciech Szczesny, a succession of injuries to the Pole meant that once again the club were faced with a goalkeeper issue. However, despite the initial fears, replacement Vito Mannone has stepped in and performed a marvellous job. Following such form, the Italian now claims that he has no intention of becoming a deputy again.
Mannone joined the Gunners in 2005 and despite arriving with a very promising reputation, he has always struggled to force his way into the Arsenal squad. He has constantly found himself behind the likes of Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski and this even meant that he came close to leaving on several occasions.
However, the player now says that he could not be happier at the Emirates Stadium. Even though the new season is just under two months old, he has already featured seven times and many are tipping him to become the permanent No.1. Such rumours are music to Mannone’s ears and he now says that he could not stand to be a third choice again, “I was ready to go and play somewhere else. I did some good work last year and think I deserved to be playing football – I couldn’t be a number three. But now things have changed and the boss seems happy with how I’m doing at the moment. I will do my best to become the number one.”
Considering the fact that the Gunners have performed exceptionally well at the back this term, Mannone should feel very confident about his chances of remaining in the first team. At the time of writing, Arsenal have the joint second best defensive record in the top flight having conceded just five goals.
