Arsenal’s new Number One is making quite a name for himself in the opening weeks of the season.
He made a string of fine saves in the cauldron of Udine, including a Seaman-esque penalty stop, to effectively win Arsenal £25m and guarantee their participation in this year’s Champions League.
The giant Pole then made a ‘worldy’ to deny Swansea’s Danny Graham at the Emirates and help his team to a morale-boosting 1-0 victory.
All in all, I would easily say he has been the stand-out man between this sticks so far this season.
Ok, this may seem like a crazy statement after conceding eight in the game Arsenal fans are forbidden to mention.
But of those eight strikes, the 6ft 5in stopper could do little to prevent any of them and I would certainly not be pointing the finger of blame at him.
The courage and belief he has for a 21-year-old is remarkable and when you look at the current situation at Old Trafford when it comes to goalkeepers, Arsenal are far better off.
He commands his area with great authority, has cat-like reflexes for someone so big, he is comfortable coming for crosses and he is a cracking shot-stopper.
What more could you want from a goalkeeper?
I would go so far as to say he could be one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation if he can stay free from injury and get some decent defenders in front of him.
He has such a presence between the sticks that it is reminiscent of Arsenal greatest ever keeper David Seaman, one of England’s and the Premier League’s greats alongside Peter Schmeichel.
Another major benefit Seaman and Schmeichel had was a rock solid defence in front of them which is something Szczesny does not have the luxury of.
But when he performs the way that he does in front of such a mediocre back-four, it makes his achievements all that more impressive.
Arsenal have found their keeper for the next 10 years, now to sort the rest of the team out.
