Former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has said that he is extremely disappointed to have left the club are without any major trophies to his name. The Spanish goalkeeper was recently released from his contract by the Premier league club.
He came extremely close to challenging for first-team spot after the departure of Jens Lehman. However, the impressive form of the current Arsenal goalkeeper has meant that Manuel Almunia did not get enough opportunities at the club to play alongside the likes of Cesc Fabregas, despite being the most experienced player. He has now left the club, but has expressed his disappointment that he was not able to win more trophies with his time at the club.
Manuel Almunia spent a long time on the bench as the understudy to the German international Lehman. After the departure of the German international a few seasons ago, Manuel Almunia was made the undisputed number one by the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. However, he made numerous mistakes during his short tenure as the Arsenal number one, which related to Arsene Wenger losing his faith in the player. The manager subsequently decided not to extend his contract after it came to an end this season. The former Arsenal player, who has since signed for Championship club Watford, has spoken about his Arsenal days.
“As a player at Arsenal, it is hard to see the best players go to other clubs every year. They have missed a lot of great players in the last few years. The first year I came to England, I thought ‘Oh, I’m going to win a lot of things with Arsenal’ but the change then started. The club has been changing every year. One of these years, everything has to come together and be perfect, and now is the time for Arsenal. They’ve signed some good players this year, Santi Cazorla is fantastic,” Almunia said in a recent interview.