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REPORT: Wenger Made Late Bid To Hijack Barcelona’s Move For German Ace

By on October 30, 2013

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger made a last ditch attempt to hijack Barcelona’s move for German youngster Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, according to reports.

The goalkeeper currently plays for Borussia Monchengladbach and despite being just 21, he’s already racked up over 100 appearances for his boyhood club and is challenging Manuel Neuer for the German No.1 jersey.

His impressive form has earned him rave reviews over the past 12 months and it seems he caught the eye of Wenger as well as Spanish giants Barcelona.

Ter Stegen signed a pre-contract agreement in August to move to the Nou Camp next summer in an £8.5m deal as a direct replacement for Victor Valdes – who’s expected to join Monaco when his Barca contract runs out.

However, the Daily Star seem to think that Arsenal made a late move to try and hijack the deal with Wenger believed to be keen on signing the German youngster as competition for Wojciech Szczesny.

We were linked with several goalkeepers in the summer but most were experienced heads who were supposed to be mentors for young Szczesny to learn from. It would have made sense to bring in someone like Julio Cesar, for example, as the Brazilian has a wealth of experience he could pass on to the young Pole.

But signing Ter Stegen – who is two years youngster than him – would have been a risky piece of business as it could easily have put Wojciech’s nose out of joint as he would have been direct competition for the long-term position as No.1.

Thankfully we’ve stuck by the Polish stopper as he’s had an excellent season so far and I firmly believe he’ll be our first choice for years to come, as he has all the ingredients to be a top, top goalkeeper.

Do you think Szczesny has what it takes? Or do we need another No.1?