Arsene Wenger is satisfied with Wojciech Szczesny's play thus far this year. Does that mean that the manager will no longer pursue Real Madrid's Iker Casillas?
Casillas has been rumored as a target for Arsenal as the team looks to improve its goaltending situation. Szczesny is still rather young (age 23) and is prone to occasional lapses that leave this team in tenuous situations. Many believe that Iker Casillas' supposed availability makes him an ideal option for Arsenal as the 33-year-old netminder would serve as an ideal mentor to the youngster that is expected to be Arsenal's goaltender for years to come.
However, Wenger's comments make it clear that Casillas may not be needed at all.
"Certainly a part of his improvement is mental because he's more mature," Wenger stated in an interview with Arsenal's official website. "His decision-making is cleaner, sharper, quicker. He was always a very talented boy, but because he's intelligent he learns quickly from experience.
"I'm happy that I always gave him the confidence because he's developing very well into a very strong goalkeeper and today certainly nobody would question that he's one of the top five goalkeepers in the Premier League."
Szczesny has been solid for Arsenal in 2013-14. He has played in a total of 22 Premier League matches this season and has made 67 saves and put up 10 clean sheets. He made 72 last year in just three more games; Szczesny has already topped his saves total in the Champions League from last season. He put up 10 stops in 2012-13, but has already managed 16 in this year's competition.