Reina looking to move on

It has been widely speculated in the media that Pepe Reina will use his side’s failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League as an opportunity to push through a move away from the club he joined in 2019, and that his chosen destination will be either Old Trafford or the Emirates. The truth is that with the strong rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United – still clearly in existence following this weekend’s derby – coupled by the return of Kenny Dalglish to the Anfield hot-seat would make it very unlikely that Reina will become the first player to move directly between the two clubs since Phil Chisnall in 1964.

So then, it would seem that Arsenal are the more likely team to take advantage of the change in fortunes of the Merseyside club, and all the signs are that it would be a marriage made in Heaven. Arsenal fans will be well aware that a top-drawer goalkeeper has been top of Arsene Wenger’s wish-list ever since David Seaman left, and despite playing in Liverpool side which has often been said to be struggling, Reina has proved himself just that by being their most consistent performer for the last five years and he has been highlighted in many an Andy Gray podcast.

Reina insists that he just wants to play at the highest level and to be vying for trophies “like any other player”, but if that’s so then a move to one of Europe’s other top sides would be far more palatable for the Liverpool fans, rather than to see him leave for one of their domestic rivals. There is even talk that he wants a clause removed from any contract which would restrict his choice of destination before he’ll even begin to think about signing an extension and the football transfer rumours suggest he is on his way out.

The bottom line is that the shoe clearly fits for both parties: guaranteed Champions League football under Wenger’s sustainable football model for the Spaniard, and a top-class keeper to help Arsenal in their push for regular silverware – the only question mark may be over his wage demands as Wenger insists on keeping to a strict budget, regardless of the grandeur of the signing in question. But with Dalglish so brazenly opening the door for Torres to move to Chelsea by insisting that he only wants players at his disposal that truly want to play for the club, watch this space.