Manuel Almunia fears Arsene Wenger axe

MANUEL Almunia fears he is being frozen out of Arsenal as Arsene Wenger desperately tries to find a first-choice goalkeeper.

Manuel Almunia fears the axe from Arsenal as Arsene Wenger tries to find a first choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia fears the axe from Arsenal as Arsene Wenger tries to find a first-choice goalkeeper

Wenger has made a £2million bid for Fulham’s Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer this summer and he is desperate to join.

But Fulham’s current managerial situation and Arsenal’s reluctance to double their offer have seen negotiations stall.

Almunia hoped to get a chance to change Wenger’s mind during pre-season, but believes he has lost faith after a number of errors last season.

Almunia missed the Gunners’ first friendly against Barnet - Wenger claimed he was ill - and was not even among the substitutes for the win over Sturm Graz. Lukasz Fabianski started in Austria and highly-rated Wojciech Szczesny played the second half.

Having revealed he is yet to choose his No1 for the season, Wenger was unapologetic after leaving Almunia, 33, out of the Graz game - insisting the goalkeepers must live with competition.

Atletico Madrid are interested in Almunia, but Wenger will be reluctant to let him go without Schwarzer on board and start with 25-year-old Fabianski and Szczesny, 20.

If a deal for Schwarzer can be reached, Almunia will almost certainly be allowed to quit the Emirates and could be followed out the exit door by Tomas Rosicky.

Midfielder Rosicky is a target for CSKA Moscow, as well as his former club Borussia Dortmund, but a deal could be complicated because of his poor injury record at Arsenal.

Sol Campbell is poised to sign a new one-year contract worth around £30,000 a week after turning down Celtic, Sunderland and West Ham.

Having signed Laurent Koscielny, Wenger is still in the market for a new defender and had an offer for Everton’s Phil Jagielka rejected.

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