It’s hard to believe Julio Cesar will spend next season playing for a second-tier club, so Arsenal, looking to bring in some competition to the goalkeeper position, are once again trying to sign the Brazilian.
Cesar, who wants to keep his place in the starting lineup with the Brazilian national team, needs to play for a club that’s slightly better than QPR. While Arsenal won’t be promising him first team football, not at first at least, they’ve been trying to get him for the last couple of seasons, and playing once again on a big stage, including the Champions League, is something that should give Cesar enough of an incentive to leave QPR.
There aren’t that many offers for a goalkeeper that until two years ago was considered one of the top 5 in the world on a consistent basis. A 73-time international for the Brazilian national team, QPR are making Cesar available for only £2 million, but premier clubs in Europe, meaning teams from big leagues who’ll be playing in the Champions League, aren’t running all over each other to try and sign him, while Cesar himself isn’t likely to look for a place where he’ll be spending most of his time on the bench.
Cesar is making £70,000 a week, which might become some sort of problem for Arsenal and their insanely, unreasonably tight wage structure, but that’s only if they’re intending him to sit on the bench and only mentor their crop of not-so-young goalkeepers who insist on remaining a thorn in Arsene Wenger’s side once, twice or more each season.
In terms of price and experience, there’s no doubt Cesar is an excellent purchase. But both for Arsenal, who want to aspire for more in terms of success, and for Cesar himself, who needs a place where he’s guaranteed first team football so Scolari won’t drop him from the lineup, this move might not make the most sense, especially if Wenger isn’t making any promises.