Both Arsenal and Manchester City have had their problems with goalkeepers in recent history with both of their number 1s being dropped for whatever reason, so it only seems natural that the Express are reporting that both sides are keeping a close eye on Real Madrid’s out of favour keeper Iker Casillas. But how does he compare to Wojciech Szczesny and Joe Hart?
Statistically speaking, Casillas doesn’t have anything to compare this season as he is yet to appear in La Liga, so I will use his numbers from last year.
Firstly, all three are very different keepers. Sczcesny is a big, powerful unit who is all about organising his defence and is calm amongst the chaos. Hart is a keeper who excels when tested from range and defending against onrushing strikers. Casillas, on the other hand, is an instinctive keeper who is also brilliant in his distribution.
Last season the Spaniard made 19 appearances in the league and kept eight clean sheets, while averaging 1.58 saves per game.
This season Szczesny has played 16 games and six clean sheets, averaging 2.25 saves per game.
Hart, having made a few mistakes this term has played just six games, but he did keep a clean sheet in half of those, averaging 1.22 saves per game – the lowest of the three.
For me, Casillas on his day is the one I would choose, but having any of the three would be an exceptional asset to any side.