By Myles Palmer
Carlo Cudicini is almost as good as Dudek, the top keeper in the Premiership.
For me, Cudicini is phenomenally sharp and acrobatic and assured.
He has saved penalties by Gary McAllister, Kevin Phillips and Marcus Bent this season.
Zola says, “He’s so explosive and agile that he can delay his decision when facing a penalty-taker.”
Cudicini is 28 and Italian and his father played for Milan.
He was always in his father’s shadow when he played in Italy and he had a knee injury and he left Lazio as Sven arrived five years ago, never met Sven, never played for him.
Milan had loaned him to Lazio where he played one game before being loaned to Castel di Sangro, who were then relegated from Serie B.
Chelsea signed him for – wait for it – £160,000 and he became a star.
Beat that for talent-spotting, Arsene.
His agent Federico Pastorello says Arsenal have not approached him directly but he has been told by a third party that Arsenal and Man United are watching him closely.
Quite by co-incidence, the agent is negotiating a new five year contract with Chelsea at the moment. Cudicini’s current contract expires in 2003.
Would Ken Bates sell a good player to David Dein? I think not.
Would an Italian keeper jump at the chance to play in the Champions League or prefer to stay with Ranieri, Zola, Dalla Bona? I don’t know.
Ulrich Rame of Bordeaux seems a logical target since the clubs have already done business, and since Mickael Landreau of Nantes is going to Barcelona.
I’ve always wondered whether Arsene would sign a foreign player from another Premiership club.
He has never done it so far but you never know.
World class 28-year old keepers don’t grow on trees.
25th April 2002