The Daily Express are reporting that Premiership leaders Chelsea will make a January move for West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. The former Norwich man has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership, despite having a knack of making big errors now and again, and is seen as the right man to replace faltering Czech ‘keeper Petr Cech.
27-year-old Cech was almost unbeatable in his first couple of seasons with the club and was declared the best in the world by many. However, a serious head injury caused by Stephen Hunt, then of Reading, resulted in a long lay-off for Cech and he’s come back a completely different player who flaps in the air and is far from convincing.
Green, 29, meanwhile established himself as a great ‘keeper whilst at Norwich which led to his move to West Ham where he has been irreplaceable between the sticks since 2006. Green has made a couple of big errors this season, notably last night against Bolton and playing for England earlier this season against Ukraine but Chelsea still see him as a reliable option to replace Cech who has lost Carlo Ancelotti’s confidence.
Should West Ham lose Green then manager Gianfranco Zola will be forced to search for a top replacement and Aston Villa’s Brad Friedel has been mentioned along with younger names such as Huddersfield’s Alex Smithies and a few of their own reserve ‘keepers.
[Is there any substance to this and should this rumour Fly or Die?]
